Regulatory Mechanisms and Physiological Impacts of Quorum Sensing in Gram-Negative Bacteria

Xiaobing Chu,1,2 Qiwen Yang1,3 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China; 2Graduate School, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Pathogen Infection Prevention and Control, Peking Union Medical College, Ministry of Education, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiwen Yang, Email [email protected]: The Quorum sensing (QS) system is a widely existing communication mechanism, which regulates bacterial community behaviors and the expression of specific genes. The most common pathogenic bacteria in clinical infections are gram-negative bacteria, and QS plays an important regulatory role in the production of virulence factors and development of antibiotic resistance. This article reviews the QS systems of gram-negative bacteria and provides an overview of how they regulate their physiological functions.Keywords: quorum sensing, gram-negative bacteria, physiological impacts