Quenching the quorum sensing system: potential antibacterial drug targets

Abstract

Emergence of antibiotic and multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria has created the need for new drugs and drug targets. During pathogenesis bacteria release signals which regulate virulence and pathogenicity related genes. Such bacteria co-ordinate their virulent behaviour in a cell density dependent phenomenon termed as quorum sensing (QS). In contrast, microbes interfere with QS system by quenching the signals, termed quorum quenching (QQ). As a consequence of disrupted QS, pathogens become susceptible to antibiotics and drugs. In this article, the biodiversity of organisms with potential to quench QS signals and the use of QQ molecules as antibacterial drugs have been reviewed.

Keywords::

• Antibiotics
• Bacillus
• enzymes
• pathogens
• signal
• virulence

Declaration of interests

We are thankful to Directors of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, CSIR; National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, CSIR grant SIP 16 for providing necessary funds, facilities and moral support.