Comunicació quorum sensing en procariotes: reptes i oportunitats
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Quorum Sensing, one of the cellular communication tools used by prokaryotic organisms, both
bacteria and archaea, allows them to coordinate their behavior based on cell density and adapt to the
various environmental situations in which they find, through chemical signal molecules, the
autoinducers.
This systematic review discusses the importance and participation of Quorum Sensing in several
processes specific to microorganisms such as social behavior and cellular coordination, the
production of enzymes and metabolites and the expression of certain genes. In addition, the main
types of Quorum Sensing communication and the main differences between the respective systems
are studied in bacteria, whether Gram-positive or Gram-negative.
Analyzing the opportunities involved in the interference and modification of this system, it has been
shown that there are several strategies and molecules or compounds that can inhibit or stimulate
Quorum Sensing communication systems in different microorganisms. The potential of this possibility
has been studied, with the aim of obtaining a certain benefit and improvement in some areas, such as
in anti-infective therapy as an alternative to antibiotics, the regulation of bacterial corrosion, the
bioremediation and biodegradation of pollutants, agriculture and the production of bioactive
compounds; in order to apply it in various scientific fields such as microbial ecology, clinical and
agricultural microbiology, biotechnology and biomedicine.
However, the strategies proposed to interfere with the Quorum Sensing communication process have
many limitations, such as the resistance to some of the compounds used and the low stability that they present in the natural environment, their lack of universality, the possible environmental impact
and social effects that they can cause, among others.
Therefore, it is necessary to continue investigating and deepening the knowledge regarding Quorum Sensing communication in prokaryotes, in order to overcome the challenges and limitations it
presents and take advantage of the opportunities that this system offers