Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Bacteria exploit many mechanisms to communicate with each other and their surroundings. Mechanisms using small diffusible signals to coordinate behaviour with cell density (quorum sensing) frequently contribute to pathogenicity. However, pathogens must also be able to acquire nutrients and replicate to successfully invade their host. One quorum-sensing system, based on the possession of LuxS, bears the unique feature of contributing directly to metabolism, and therefore has the potential to influence both gene regulation and bacterial fitness. Here, we discuss the influence that LuxS and its product, autoinducer-2, have on virulence, relating the current evidence to the preferred niche of the pathogen and the underlying mechanisms involved.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/nrmicro1146

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nat Rev Microbiol

Publication Date

05/2005

Volume

3

Pages

383 - 396

Keywords

Animals, Bacteria, Bacterial Proteins, Carbon-Sulfur Lyases, Escherichia coli, Humans, Methionine, Models, Biological, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio, Virulence