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Updated: Nov 5, 2025
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Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
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A biophysical limit for quorum sensing in biofilms
Avaneesh V Narla1, David Bruce Borenstein2, Ned S Wingreen3,4
1Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92092.
Summary
Quorum sensing (QS) in bacteria provides a competitive edge through matrix production, but only if autoinducer (AI) production is not limited by nutrient availability. Nutrient-limited AI production hinders QS effectiveness in bacterial biofilms.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Computational Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Bacteria form biofilms, complex communities on surfaces, utilizing quorum sensing (QS) for intra- and inter-species communication.
- Quorum sensing relies on autoinducer (AI) molecules to sense population density and regulate collective behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the competitive advantage of QS-mediated extracellular matrix production in bacterial biofilms.
- To determine how nutrient availability affects the efficacy of QS strategies.
Main Methods:
- Agent-based simulations of a spatial model were employed.
- The model simulated bacterial colony expansion and nutrient acquisition.
- A biophysical limit for nutrient-limited AI concentrations was derived.
Main Results:
- Constitutive AI production enabled QS-based strategies to outperform fixed strategies significantly.
- When AI production was nutrient-limited, QS strategies offered no significant advantage.
- A narrow dynamic range (<10-fold) for nutrient-limited AI concentrations was identified.
Conclusions:
- Quorum sensing provides a substantial competitive advantage in biofilms when AI production is constitutive.
- Nutrient-limited AI production severely restricts the effectiveness of QS.
- For optimal QS function, AI production should be independent of metabolic status and nutrient availability.
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