title: Cell-cell communication in food related bacteria.
abstract: Although the study of quorum sensing is relatively recent, it has been well established that bacteria produce, release, detect and respond to small signalling hormone-like molecules called "autoinducers". When a critical threshold concentration of the signal molecule is achieved, bacteria detect its presence and initiate a signalling cascade resulting in changes of target gene expression. Cell-cell communication has been shown within and between species with mechanisms substantially different in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The identified quorum-sensing mechanisms in several food related Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including bacteriocin synthesis, luxS quorum sensing and interactions between sourdough starter lactic acid bacteria are reviewed. The understanding of extracellular signalling may provide a new basis for controlling over molecular and cellular process the deleterious and useful food related bacteria whose behaviour is mostly a consequence of very complex community interactions.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Protezione delle Piante e Microbiologia Applicata, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy. gobbetti@agr.uniba.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gobbetti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Cagno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Minervini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Limitone
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001430:Bacteriocins