Combinatorial quorum-sensing allows bacteria to resolve their social and physical environment

ABSTRACT: Quorum-sensing (QS) is a cell-cell communication system that controls gene expression in many bacterial species, mediated by diffusible signal molecules. While the intracellular regulatory mechanisms of QS are often well-understood, the functional roles of QS remain controversial. In particular, the use of multiple signals by many bacterial species poses a serious challenge to current functional theories. Here we address this challenge by showing that bacteria can use multiple QS signals to infer both their social (density) and physical (mass-transfer) environment. Analytical and evolutionary simulation models show that the detection of and response to complex social/physical contrasts requires multiple signals with distinct half-lives and combinatorial (non-additive) responses to signal c

ORGANISM(S): Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

SUBMITTER: Alasdair Ivens 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-55110 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress