Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026
07:47
Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
12.2K
Quorum Quenching Strategy Targeting Gram-Positive Pathogenic Bacteria.
Ravindra Pal Singh1, Said E Desouky1,2, Jiro Nakayama3
1Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|May 12, 2016
Summary
This review explores quorum quenching (QS) agents that disrupt bacterial communication. These agents target QS systems in Gram-positive pathogens, offering potential as novel post-antibiotic therapies.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Quorum sensing (QS) regulates bacterial group behaviors, crucial for pathogen infection.
- Low GC Gram-positive bacteria use autoinducing peptides (AIPs) for QS.
- QS is a key target for anti-pathogenic strategies beyond traditional antibiotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review quorum quenching (QQ) agents targeting QS in Gram-positive pathogens.
- To highlight the potential of QQ agents as post-antibiotic drugs.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of QQ agents developed through random screening and rational design.
- Analysis of QQ agents targeting AIP antagonists in staphylococci, enterococci, and clostridia.
Main Results:
- Numerous QQ agents have been identified targeting QS circuits.
- These agents show promise in disrupting bacterial communication and infection establishment.
Conclusions:
- Quorum quenching offers a promising avenue for developing novel anti-pathogenic therapies.
- QQ agents represent a potential alternative to conventional bactericidal antibiotics.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
859
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,...
859
01:30Bacterial Signaling
42.9K
Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
42.9K
01:23Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis
14
Bacterial cell walls are typically rigid structures composed mainly of peptidoglycan, a mesh-like polymer that provides mechanical strength and maintains cell shape. The synthesis of peptidoglycan is a crucial process in bacterial growth and serves as a primary target for many antibiotics.Mechanism of Action of Beta-Lactam AntibioticsBeta-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin, inhibit peptidoglycan synthesis in actively growing cells. These antibiotics share a characteristic four-membered...
14
01:28Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
8
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...
8
00:57Antibiotic Selection
62.0K
Overview
62.0K
01:28Biological Methods for Microbial Control
1.2K
Biological agents offer an effective means of controlling microbial growth by leveraging natural processes like predation, competition, and the secretion of antimicrobial substances.Predatory bacteria such as Bdellovibrio species target and kill pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. They are widely used in poultry farms to control infections. Myxococcus species help combat plant-pathogenic fungi. These naturally occurring predators serve as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides and...
1.2K