Quorum sensing mediates morphology and motility transitions in the model archaeon <i>Haloferax volcanii</i>.

ABSTRACT: Quorum sensing (QS) is a population density-dependent mechanism of intercellular communication, whereby microbes secrete and detect signals to regulate behaviors such as virulence and biofilm formation. Although QS is well-studied in bacteria, little is known about cell-cell communication in archaea. The model archaeon Haloferax volcanii can transition from motile rod-shaped cells to non-motile disks as population density increases. In this report, we demonstrate that this transition is induced by a secreted small molecule present in cell-free conditioned medium (CM). The CM also elicits a response from a bacterial QS bioreporter, suggesting the potential for inter-domain crosstalk. To investigate the Hfx. volcanii QS response, we performed quantitative proteomics and detecte

SUBMITTER: Chatterjee P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12240190 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature