Decoding bacterial communication: Intracellular signal transduction, quorum sensing, and cross-kingdom interactions

: Liu, Shuxun; Feng, Xujie; Zhang, Hangjia; Li, Ping; Yang, Baoru; Gu, Qing

Publisher: Elsevier GmbH

: 2025

: Microbiological Research

: 127995

: 292

: 0944-5013

: 1618-0623

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.127995

: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.127995

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate architecture of bacterial sensing systems, with a focus on signal transduction mechanisms and their critical roles in microbial physiology. It highlights quorum sensing (QS), quorum quenching (QQ), and quorum sensing interference (QSI) as fundamental processes driving bacterial communication, influencing gene expression, biofilm formation, and interspecies interactions. The analysis explores the importance of diffusible signal factors (DSFs) and secondary messengers such as cAMP and c-di-GMP in modulating microbial behaviors. Additionally, cross-kingdom signaling, where bacterial signals impact host-pathogen dynamics and ecological balance, is systematically reviewed. This review introduces “signalomics”, an novel interdisciplinary framework integrating genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to offer a holistic framework for understanding microbial communication and evolution. These findings hold significant implications for various domains, including food preservation, agriculture, and human health.

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This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFD2100701), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32402118), Zhejiang Province Public Welfare Technology Application Research Project (No. LTGN23C200010), and the "Sannongjiufang" Research Joint Project of Zhejiang Province (No. 2023SNJF017).