Bacterial quorum sensing

Bacteria sense and respond to small molecule signals in a cell‐cell communication process termed quorum sensing. We are investigating recently identified quorum sensing circuits in several different bacterial species. To develop a molecular understanding of how quorum sensing signals (called autoinducers) are detected, and how sensory information is transduced to control behavior on a community‐wide scale, we have adopted an integrated approach combining synthetic organic chemistry, bacterial genetics, biochemistry, and x‐ray crystallography. The results further our mechanistic understanding of transmembrane signal transduction via two‐component sensor kinases, of which these quorum sensing receptors represent particularly tractable examples. Supported by NIH AI054442 and HHMI.