Journal
MICROORGANISMS
Volume 10, Issue 10, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10101969
Keywords
quorum sensing; intestinal bacteria; health
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The human gut contains almost 3000 microbial species, primarily bacteria, which produce quorum sensing molecules that influence the gut microbiome and communicate with the host. These molecules have a significant effect on our physiological and mental health.
The human gut is host to almost 3000 microbial species, of which 90% are bacteria. Quorum sensing (QS) molecules generated by intestinal bacteria are important in establishing species- and strain-level structures within the gut microbiome but are also used to communicate with the host. Although we do not know which QS molecules have the most direct interaction with intestinal and sensory neurons, it is clear they affect our physiological and mental health. Signals produced by bacteria are diverse and include autoinducers (AIs), homoserine lactones (HSLs), quinolines, peptides, toxins and proteases. These signaling molecules activate specific receptors in the bacterial cell wall and trigger sensors in the cytoplasm that regulate gene expressions. A better understanding of the gene structures encoding the production of QS molecules is of importance when selecting strains with neurogenerative and other probiotic properties. Furthermore, QS molecules may be used as biomarkers in the diagnosis of inflammable bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colorectal cancer (CRC). In the future, it should be possible to use QS biomarkers to diagnose neurological and psychiatric diseases such as anxiety and depression, major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available