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Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

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,...

Bacterial Signaling

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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...

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The trp operon in Escherichia coli exemplifies a repressible operon. It regulates the synthesis of tryptophan through repressor-mediated transcriptional control and attenuation. This dual regulatory mechanism ensures tryptophan biosynthesis occurs only when needed, conserving cellular resources.Structure of the trp OperonThe trp operon consists of five structural genes (trpE, trpD, trpC, trpB, and trpA) that encode enzymes for tryptophan biosynthesis. These genes are transcribed as a single...

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Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...

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The organization of prokaryotic genes in their genome is notably different from that of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic genes are organized, such that the genes for proteins involved in the same biochemical process or function are located together in groups. This group of genes, along with their regulatory elements, are collectively known as an operon. The functional genes in an operon are transcribed together to give a single strand of mRNA known as polycistronic mRNA.
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Time-lapse Imaging of Bacterial Swarms and the Collective Stress Response

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Published on: May 23, 2020

Flexible dynamics of two quorum-sensing coupled repressilators.

Edward H Hellen¹, Evgeny Volkov²

¹Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.

Physical Review. E

|March 17, 2017

Summary

Quorum sensing (QS) coupling in synthetic genetic repressilators enables complex dynamics, including chaos and multistability. This research explores how global coupling in genetic networks can lead to diverse biological behaviors and phenomena.

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Area of Science:

Systems biology
Synthetic biology
Nonlinear dynamics

Background:

Genetic oscillators are crucial for cellular regulation.
Stable collective dynamics in genetic networks depend on interaction design.
Synthetic genetic repressilators offer a platform for studying network dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the dynamics of two identical synthetic genetic repressilators coupled via quorum sensing (QS).
Analyze the impact of QS on network behavior, including stability and emergent dynamic modes.
Explore parameter spaces to map different dynamic regimes and understand their transitions.

Main Methods:

Utilized a synthetic genetic repressilator model with unidirectional gene inhibition.
Implemented global coupling through a plasmid-based quorum sensing (QS) mechanism.
Performed extensive bifurcation analysis by varying promoter strength, Hill cooperativity, and coupling strength.

Main Results:

Discovered broad parameter ranges exhibiting multistability between antiphase limit cycles and steady states.
Observed the emergence of complex oscillations, collective chaos, and multistability with increasing coupling strength.
Identified intrachaotic periodic windows with symmetric/asymmetric partial limit cycles, altering chaos characteristics.

Conclusions:

QS coupling in synthetic genetic oscillators generates exceptionally rich and complex dynamics.
The discovered dynamics, including chaos and multistability, may underlie biological phenotypic diversification.
The findings suggest potential applications in designing complex biological circuits and exploring similar phenomena in other natural systems.