Molecular mechanisms of bacterial quorum sensing as a new drug target.
Bacterial quorum sensing evolved as a means for bacterial communities to rapidly and coordinately change genome expression patterns in response to environmental cues. Each cell in a community produces and responds to a signaling molecule called an autoinducer that serves as an indicator of the population density. A high concentration of autoinducer is associated with a large, often confined population, which requires altered gene expression for survival. Quorum sensing is one mechanism through which a bacterial population receives input from the environment and elicits an appropriate response. Because many pathogens require quorum sensing to produce virulence factors in response to association with a human host, the signaling pathway is a target for design of small-molecule inhibitors.
Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000, USA. hsuga@buffalo.edu
Hiroaki
H
Suga
Kristina M
KM
Smith
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological
D001426:Bacterial Proteins