Microbial Communication via Quorum Sensing

Chemical communication enables microbes to probe local cell density and coordinate collective behavior through a process known as quorum sensing (QS). In QS, microbes produce and detect small molecule signals, and the expression levels of many genes change in response to these signals. QS signals, known as autoinducers, potentially accumulate around the cell and relay information about environmental conditions, transport dynamics, and the number and identity of microbial neighbors. In this paper, we focus on the history of QS, the variety of molecular networks used by microbes to achieve QS, modeling approaches, and applications of QS control.