Quorum sensing is a mechanism that bacteria use for intercellular communication and subsequent gene expression, which allows them to act as a single unit rather than individual microorganisms. Bacteria release signaling molecules into the environment, which accumulate in the extracellular space and return to bacterial cells when they reach a certain concentration, triggering the transcription of numerous genes. More cells in the vicinity enable the presence of more signaling molecules, which triggers the quorum sensing system. Bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa are gram-negative bacteria that use three main signaling pathways, which are systems Las, Rhl, and PQS. Each of them has its own group of chemical signaling molecules that trigger different sequences of reactions that enable the transcription of genes for proteins necessary for biofilm formation, bacterial attachment to host tissue, antibiotic resistance, and the release of virulence factors. Quorum sensing in P. aeruginosa is a very complex, dynamic, and environmentally dependent mechanism that enables bacteria to communicate and adapt to different environments.
|
