Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
07:47

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Published on: January 1, 2016

11.3K

Quorum quenching agents: resources for antivirulence therapy

Kaihao Tang1, Xiao-Hua Zhang2

  • 1College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China. kaihao.tang@gmail.com.

Marine Drugs
|June 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat. Marine microorganisms offer promising natural quorum quenching (QQ) agents as novel antivirulence therapies, targeting bacterial communication without promoting resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Marine Biotechnology
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Emerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens pose a significant threat to human health.
  • Quorum sensing (QS) controls virulence in many bacteria, making it a key target for antivirulence strategies.
  • Antivirulence therapies offer an alternative by inhibiting virulence rather than cell growth, reducing resistance evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the potential of quorum quenching (QQ) agents derived from marine microorganisms as a therapeutic strategy.
  • To underscore the untapped potential of marine environments for discovering novel QQ agents.
  • To emphasize the value of marine microorganism-derived QQ agents for developing new antivirulence therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on quorum sensing (QS) and quorum quenching (QQ) mechanisms.
  • Identification and analysis of known marine QQ bacteria and their derived agents.
  • Exploration of the diversity of marine microbial communities as a source for novel QQ agents.

Main Results:

  • Quorum quenching (QQ) agents, produced by microorganisms, can inhibit bacterial virulence.
  • Marine environments harbor a vast, largely unexplored diversity of QQ microorganisms.
  • Over 30 species of marine QQ bacteria have been identified, though few are well-studied.

Conclusions:

  • Marine microorganism-derived QQ agents represent a valuable, underexplored resource for developing novel antivirulence therapies.
  • Targeting bacterial QS offers a promising avenue to combat antibiotic resistance.
  • Further research into marine QQ agents is crucial for advancing therapeutic strategies against resistant pathogens.

More Related Videos

Quantification of Violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum and Its Inhibition by Bioactive Compounds07:13

Quantification of Violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum and Its Inhibition by Bioactive Compounds

Published on: August 8, 2025

1.8K
Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutics to Treat Vibriosis in Humans and Aquatic Organisms03:29

Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutics to Treat Vibriosis in Humans and Aquatic Organisms

Published on: May 31, 2024

1.1K

Related Concept Videos

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
952
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis01:30

Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...
57
Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis01:28

Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis

Bacterial pathogens depend on precise and efficient DNA replication to sustain infection. Two type II topoisomerases—DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV—are critical to this process, as they resolve DNA supercoiling and unlink chromosomes during replication. Fluoroquinolones, synthetic derivatives of quinolones, exploit this mechanism by stabilizing the transient DNA–enzyme cleavage complex, preventing strand religation, and causing lethal double-strand breaks. These...
125
Chemical Agents for Microbial Control01:27

Chemical Agents for Microbial Control

Chemicals play important roles in controlling microbial growth by targeting microbial structures and functions as sanitizers, antiseptics, disinfectants, and sterilants.Alcohols are commonly used sanitizers, effectively disrupting lipid membranes, which compromises cell integrity. They are also used as antiseptics and disinfectants due to their rapid action and versatility.Phenols and their derivatives phenolics , known for denaturing proteins and disrupting cell membranes, are particularly...
1.6K
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants01:18

Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants

Oral anticoagulants are vital tools in preventing and treating blood clotting disorders. This diverse class of medications can be categorized as vitamin K antagonists, exemplified by warfarin, and direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs), such as dabigatran, as well as factor Xa inhibitors, including rivaroxaban.
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...
2.7K
Subviral Agents01:29

Subviral Agents

Subviral agents are infectious entities that resemble viruses but lack one or more viral components, such as a capsid or essential replication machinery. These agents include viroids, prions, and satellites, each possessing distinct structural and functional characteristics that influence their mode of infection and replication.Viroids are the simplest subviral agents, consisting of circular, single-stranded RNA molecules without a protein coat. They exclusively infect plants, relying entirely...
927