Brucella: Molecular Microbiology and Genomics

Brucella Quorum Sensing: Much More Than Sensing QuorumMatthieu Terwagne, Sophie Uzureau, and Jean-Jacques LetessonQuorum sensing is a regulatory system that allows bacteria to coordinate gene expression according to the local population density. Recently, we demonstrated that the virulence of the facultative intracellular bacteria Brucella depends on quorum sensing. Similar to other Gram negative bacteria, Brucellaquorum sensing utilizes the production and detection of N-acyl homoserine lactone as a signal. However, in Brucella, N-acyl homoserine lactone could serve to monitor the confinement state, a situation in which a single bacterium enclosed in a vacuole can be the quorum. Here, we present a current review covering the intricacies of quorum sensing in Brucella, highlighting the abilities of quorum sensing to influence both Brucella virulence and metabolism.