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Updated: Nov 19, 2025

A Hydroponic Co-cultivation System for Simultaneous and Systematic Analysis of Plant/Microbe Molecular Interactions and Signaling
Published on: July 22, 2017
Quorum Sensing Regulation in Phytopathogenic Bacteria
Julie Baltenneck1, Sylvie Reverchon1, Florence Hommais1
1Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA-Lyon, CNRS, UMR5240 MAP, F-69622 Villeurbanne CEDEX, France.
Abstract:
Quorum sensing is a type of chemical communication by which bacterial populations control expression of their genes in a coordinated manner. This regulatory mechanism is commonly used by pathogens to control the expression of genes encoding virulence factors and that of genes involved in the bacterial adaptation to variations in environmental conditions. In phytopathogenic bacteria, several mechanisms of quorum sensing have been characterized. In this review, we describe the different quorum sensing systems present in phytopathogenic bacteria, such as those using the signal molecules named N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL), diffusible signal factor (DSF), and the unknown signal molecule of the virulence factor modulating (VFM) system. We focus on studies performed on phytopathogenic bacteria of major importance, including Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Agrobacterium, Xanthomonas, Erwinia, Xylella,Dickeya, and Pectobacterium spp. For each system, we present the mechanism of regulation, the functions targeted by the quorum sensing system, and the mechanisms by which quorum sensing is regulated.
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