Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The gut microbiome can produce metabolic products that exert diverse activities, including effects on the host.
Short chain fatty acids and amino acid derivatives have been the focus of many studies, but given the high microbial density in the gastrointestinal tract, other bacterial products such as those released as part of quorum sensing are likely to play an important role for health and disease.
In this review, we provide of an overview on quorum sensing QS in the gastrointestinal tract and summarise what is known regarding the role of QS molecules such as auto-inducing peptides AIP and acyl-homoserine lactones AHL from commensal, probiotic, and pathogenic bacteria in intestinal health and disease. QS regulates the expression of numerous genes including biofilm formation, bacteriocin and toxin secretion, and metabolism.
QS has also been shown to play an important role in the bacteria—host interaction. We conclude that the mechanisms of action of QS at the intestinal neuro—immune interface need to be further investigated.
Keywords: AHL, enteric nervous system, intestinal epithelium, intestinal disease, microbiome. Quorum sensing QS is defined as the ability to detect and respond to changes in population density. This process is particularly important for bacteria that undergo profound phenotypical changes when switching between different stages of growth lag phase, exponential phase, and stationary phase , but equally occur in mammalian cells, especially in epithelial cells, cancer cells, immune cells, and stem cells [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ].
