CH391L/S12/Quorum Sensing  From OpenWetWare  < CH391L/S12
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contribs) Jump to: navigation, search   Quorum Sensing  Quorum
sensing (QS) refers to the ability of microbial cells to
communicate with one another to determine their densities. This
communication is usually facilitated by the production and
extracellular export of a small signaling molecule which other
bacteria can then detect. The concentration of the small
molecule is tied to transcriptional regulation in members of the
quorum sensing bacterial population. The more QS bacteria
producing the small signaling molecule in a given area, the
higher the concentration of that molecule. When the small
molecule concentration reaches a certain amount, the bacteria
are at 'quorum' and all participating QS bacteria undergo
changes in gene expression. In natural environments, this change
often involves increases in virulence, biofilm formation,
bioluminescence, sporulation, or competence. In synthetic en