Bacteria "talk" to one another through a process called quorum sensing. Bacterial genes code for the production of signaling molecules called autoinducers that are released into the surrounding environment. These signaling molecules then bind to signaling receptors either on the bacterial surface or in the cytoplasm, in this case, on the surface. When these autoinducers reach a critical, threshold level, they activate bacterial quorum sensing genes that enable the bacteria to behave as a multicellular population rather than as individual single-celled organism. The autoinducer/receptor complex is able to bind to DNA promoters and activate the transcription of quorum sensing-controlled genes in the bacterium. In this way, individual bacteria within a group are able to benefit from the activity of the entire group.

Last updated: August, 2018
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