Quorum Sensing: Cell-to-CellCommunication in Bacteria

Biologists today understand that bacteria are extremely social organisms. Despite their relatively simple structure, bacteria, regardless of their species, can communicate with each other using chemical signal molecules. This chemical communication involves releasing, decoding, and responding to hormone-like molecules termed autoinducers. The name for this process is called quorum sensing. The most fascinating thing about quorum sensing is that the process becomes beneficial not among a singular bacterium but rather in a community. That is, when bacteria reach a certain population size, the quorum sensing becomes active and a unified response is given off. The field of quorum sensing has allowed biologists to gain a completely new way of thinking about life. It has long been thought that bacteria were reclusive organisms, but it is now understood that quorum sensing in bacteria has wide-reaching affects. One of the most interesting cases of quorum sensing occurs in the biolumninescent bacteria, Vibrio fischeri. These bacteria take their residence in a species of Hawaiian squid. The squid allows the bacteria to grow to high density and then uses the light given off by the bacteria to navigate its way through dark ocean waters at night. The bacteria receive shelter inside the squid that provides enough room for proliferation that would be unattainable in ocean water. Furthermore, the bacteria are provided with food as well. Another interesting and extremely insightful case study of quorum sensing takes place in populations of Staphylococcus aureus. This species is benign to human beings unless it reaches certain specific tissues. When these tissues are reached, the bacteria stop producing

neutral factors and start producing toxins used in infecting the human being. In this case, the bacteria make a united change in response in an attempt to take over the host. This finding holds great medical promise. As researchers discover more about how quorum sensing works, they realize that the process of cell communication mirrors that of quorum sensing. Therefore, there are several hypotheses that state that quorum sensing is the predecessor to eukaryotic cell communication. Interestingly, the communication pathways are set up like electrical circuits in order to make the pathways more efficient and organized. This architecture is extremely intricate and specialized to each species of bacteria. These circuits contain on-off switches that allow the population of bacteria to carry out a unified response at one time after reaching a certain population density. Furthermore, all bacteria share a few of the molecules of quorum sensing; this allows interspecies communication. These new findings on quorum sensing may be the stepping-stone to medicine in the future. Humans would once again have the upper hand if they gain the ability to disrupt or curtail communication efforts in bacteria populations in the human body. Still, more research has to be done in terms of how quorum sensing plays a role in bacteria reproduction and infection rate. Furthermore, quorum sensing in bacteria is also used to communicate with eukaryotic cells. Therefore, any possible medications would have to possible harmful affects to the human body. Also, these medications would have to take into account the complex pathways that exist between species of bacteria disrupting one pathway disrupts a load o others as well. This could have wide-reaching affects on the human body.