Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2025
07:47
Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
11.6K
Application of Quorum Sensing in Metabolic Engineering
Zhuoning Cao1,2, Zhen Liu1,2, Xiangzhao Mao1,3,2
1Qingdao Key Laboratory of Food Biotechnology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266404, China.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|March 27, 2023
Summary
Quorum sensing (QS) uses microbial signaling molecules to regulate metabolic engineering, offering eco-friendly and cost-effective production. Future research should explore fungal QS systems for enhanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microbiology
- Synthetic Biology
Background:
- Metabolic engineering offers sustainable production but requires maintaining microbial productivity.
- Exogenous pathway inducers are often limited by economic factors.
- Microbial communication via quorum sensing (QS) presents a dynamic regulatory solution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review bacterial quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms.
- To summarize QS-based regulatory strategies for metabolic engineering.
- To highlight the future potential of QS in metabolic engineering, including fungal systems.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of bacterial quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms.
- Analysis of QS regulatory strategies and their applications in metabolic engineering.
- Discussion of QS modularity and future research directions.
Main Results:
- Detailed description of typical bacterial QS systems.
- Summary of diverse QS regulatory strategies applied to metabolic engineering.
- Identification of QS modularity as a key factor for future advancements.
Conclusions:
- Quorum sensing (QS) provides a dynamic regulatory system for microbial synthesis in metabolic engineering.
- QS offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional inducers.
- Further research into fungal QS systems is recommended for expanding applications.
Keywords:
Cell-cell communicationDynamic regulation strategyHeterologous pathwaysMetabolic engineeringPopulation densityQuorum sensingMore Related Videos
08:03A Tandem Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-based Approach for Metabolite Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: March 28, 2017
10.2K
06:53In Vivo Monitoring of Transcriptional Activity During Metabolic Transition Using a Bioluminescent Reporter in Yeast
Published on: February 21, 2025
483
Related Concept Videos
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
52
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,...
52
01:30Bacterial Signaling
33.2K
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...
33.2K
01:23Operon Model
53
The operon model represents a fundamental mechanism of gene regulation in prokaryotes, enabling coordinated expression of genes involved in related metabolic or functional pathways. Operons consist of structural genes, a promoter, and an operator, with transcription regulated by repressors, activators, and small effector molecules.Structure and Function of OperonsAn operon is a cluster of structural genes transcribed together under the control of a single promoter. The promoter region...
53
01:19Regulation of Metabolism
9.6K
Cellular needs and conditions vary from cell to cell and change within individual cells over time. For example, the required enzymes and energetic demands of stomach cells are different from those of fat storage cells, skin cells, blood cells, and nerve cells. Furthermore, a digestive cell works much harder to process and break down nutrients during the time that closely follows a meal compared with many hours after a meal. As these cellular demands and conditions vary, so do the amounts and...
9.6K
01:28Global Regulatory Systems
47
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...
47
01:25Inducible Operons: lac Operon
63
The lac operon in Escherichia coli is a model for understanding inducible gene regulation and metabolic flexibility. It integrates local control by lactose and global regulation through catabolite repression, enabling E. coli to preferentially metabolize glucose when available and switch to lactose utilization when glucose is scarce.Structure and Function of the lac OperonThe lac operon contains three structural genes: lacZ (β-galactosidase), lacY (lactose permease), and lacA...
63