Discovery of a Human Metabolite That Mimics the Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Autoinducer AI-2.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria use small molecules to orchestrate collective behaviors in a process called quorum sensing (QS), which relies on the production, release, and group-wide detection of extracellular signal molecules referred to as autoinducers. One QS autoinducer, termed AI-2, is broadly used for interspecies bacterial communication, including in the mammalian gut. AI-2 consists of a family of interconverting compounds and adducts originating from 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione. This complex speciation, coupled with the inherent instability of AI-2 congeners, have complicated isolation efforts. It has been known that mammalian epithelial cells produce an AI-2 mimic to which bacteria respond. However, the identity of the AI-2 mimic has remained elusive, presumably due to its instability, similar to t

SUBMITTER: Shine EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12921845 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature