Molecular Mechanism of Bacterial Quorum Sensing and Its Inhibition by Target Specific Approaches

Bacterial infection has become a major concern in the modern scientific community due to the immense antibiotic resistance and increased frequency of nosocomial infections. Therefore the current situation demands an evaluation of existing antibacterial therapies. Quorum quenching dependent antibacterial approaches can be considered as an alternative to control bacterial infections. Bacteria communicate via chemical molecules generally referred to as autoinducers, and such bacterial signaling is collectively referred to as quorum sensing. Quorum sensing is a density dependent mechanism that controls several bacterial virulent mechanisms and compliments bacterial infection by enhancing virulent properties. Hence it is evident that by inhibiting quorum sensing, bacterial infection can be controlled. Inhibition of quorum sensing is collectively acknowledged as quorum quenching. By implementing quorum quenching, a pathogenic bacteria can be reduced inside a host system, which will provide ample time for the host immune system to have an effective immunological response. This chapter provides a detailed description of quorum sensing inhibition by blocking autoinducer synthesis, by deactivating the uptake of signaling molecules into bacterial cells, and by manipulating the interaction between signaling molecules and response genes.