Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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

Bacterial Signaling

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...

Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that arises when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the effects of antibiotic treatments. This resistance can be intrinsic, acquired through genetic mutations, or transferred between bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The development of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges in treating bacterial infections and necessitates ongoing research to develop new therapeutic strategies.Intrinsic resistance occurs when bacterial...

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within...

Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria arises when microorganisms evolve the ability to withstand drugs designed to kill them or inhibit their growth, rendering once-effective treatments useless. This phenomenon, driven by genetic change and selection under antibiotic exposure, poses a profound threat to modern medicine. Mechanisms include drug-inactivating enzymes (e.g., β-lactamases), efflux pumps that eject antibiotics, mutations altering antibiotic targets, decreased drug uptake, and...

Antibiotic Selection

Antibiotic Selection

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

SparseMed3D: Foundation Models for Sparse Instance Medical Segmentation.

Journal of imaging informatics in medicine·2026

Same author

Mitigation of antibiotic resistance risk in aerobic sludge by zero-valent iron: From pathogen reduction to conjugation inhibition and network weakening.

Bioresource technology·2026

Same author

Effects of plant-microbial combined remediation on soil microbial communities in coal mine dump.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026

Same author

Covalent organic framework membranes for ion separation and ion-driven energy conversion.

Chemical Society reviews·2026

Same author

Robust Linkage-Encoded Covalent Organic Framework Membranes Sustain Selective Ion Transport for Energy Harvesting From Concentrated Acids.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

Design and synthesis of dual mitochondria-targeted biguanide derivatives as potential anticancer agents.

Bioorganic chemistry·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Quantification of Violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum and Its Inhibition by Bioactive Compounds

Quantification of Violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum and Its Inhibition by Bioactive Compounds

Published on: August 8, 2025

Why Antimicrobial Resistance Does Not Perpetually Expand in an Antibiotics-Free Environment: Insight from Quorum

Lin Zhu^1,2, Mengdi Gao¹, Jingpeng Li¹

¹Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Pollution Control and Resource Utilization, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China.

Environmental Science & Technology

|April 10, 2026

Summary

Quorum sensing (QS) regulates antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment. QS-deficient mutants reduce AMR, revealing a trade-off that limits resistance evolution without antibiotic pressure.

Keywords:

antibiotic resistance biofilm tolerance lasR mutant quorum sensing policing

More Related Videos

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Published on: January 1, 2016

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Published on: March 3, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Quantification of Violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum and Its Inhibition by Bioactive Compounds

Quantification of Violacein in Chromobacterium violaceum and Its Inhibition by Bioactive Compounds

Published on: August 8, 2025

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Published on: January 1, 2016

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Published on: March 3, 2023

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Science

Background:

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) persists in environments without antibiotic pressure, posing a global health threat.
Mechanisms preventing unlimited AMR expansion in environments are poorly understood.
Quorum sensing (QS) is investigated for its role in constraining AMR.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of quorum sensing (QS) in constraining antimicrobial resistance (AMR) under antibiotic-free conditions.
To understand the mechanisms behind the reversibility of environmental AMR.

Main Methods:

Long-term evolution experiments with antibiotic-resistant *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* strains.
Analysis of *las*R-deficient mutants (social cheaters) and their impact on AMR.
Investigation using reactive oxygen species scavengers to disrupt QS-mediated policing.

Main Results:

Spontaneous emergence of *las*R-deficient mutants (*Δlas*R) observed, acting as social cheaters.
*Δlas*R mutants showed reduced minimum inhibitory concentration and impaired biofilm formation, decreasing antibiotic-protected survival.
Increased *Δlas*R frequency correlated with decreased population-level resistance, accelerated by QS disruption.

Conclusions:

QS, specifically *las*R, plays a crucial role in maintaining AMR in environmental reservoirs.
An evolutionary trade-off favors *Δlas*R mutants in the absence of antibiotics, naturally selecting against resistance.
Targeting QS policing offers a potential strategy to mitigate environmental AMR.