Research progress of bacterial quorum sensing receptors: classification, structure, function and characteristics

Abstract The microbial community is an important part of the natural ecosystem, and the quorum sensing system is a momentous communication tool for the microbial community to connect to the surrounding environment. Quorum sensing is a process of cell-cell communication that relies on the production, release, and detection of extracellular signaling molecules, which are called autoinducers. Quorum sensing systems in bacteria consist of two main components: a receptor protein and an autoinducer. The binding of autoinducer to its receptor activates the target gene, which then performs the corresponding function in bacteria. In a natural environment, different bacterial species possess quorum sensing receptors that are structurally and functionally different. So far, many bacterial quorum sensing receptors have been identified and the structure and function of some receptors have been characterized. There are many reviews about quorum sensing and quorum sensing receptors, but there are few reviews that describe various types of quorum sensing in different environments with receptors as the core. Therefore, we summarize the well-defined quorum sensing receptors involved in intra-species and inter-species cell-cell communication, and describe the structure, function, and characteristics of typical receptors for different types of quorum sensing. A systematic understanding of quorum sensing receptors will help researchers to further explore the signaling mechanism and regulation mechanism of quorum sensing system, provide help to clarify the role and function of quorum sensing in natural ecosystems, then provide theoretical basis for the discovery or synthesis of new targeted drugs that block quorum sensing.