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Published on: May 23, 2020
Quorum sensing in natural environments: emerging views from microbial mats.
Alan W Decho1, R Sean Norman, Pieter T Visscher
1The Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. awdecho@mailbox.sc.edu
Trends in Microbiology
|January 12, 2010
Summary
Quorum sensing (QS) in nature is complex. Modified signals in microbial communities can offer new communication pathways, revealing environmental insights.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Quorum sensing (QS) is bacterial cell-to-cell communication via molecular signals.
- Limited understanding exists on QS and microbial sensing in natural environments.
- Extracellular modifications of QS signals are likely but poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how microbial sensing systems, particularly QS, function in natural settings.
- To investigate the impact of environmental factors on signal modification and recognition.
- To propose a model for QS within structured microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microbial mats as a model system.
- Analyzed communication within structured biofilm communities.
- Considered geochemical and biological modifications of signaling molecules.
Main Results:
- Extracellular signal modification can disrupt or alter QS communication.
- Modified signals may interact with different receptors, providing new environmental information.
- Quorum sensing likely occurs within cell clusters, influenced by extracellular polymers.
Conclusions:
- Microbial sensing in nature is more complex than previously thought.
- Signal modification can be a source of novel information, not just a disruption.
- Microbial mats offer a valuable model for studying in-situ microbial communication.
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