The primary physiological roles of autoinducer 2 in escherichia coli is chemotaxis and biofilm formation

Sooyeon Song, Thomas K. Wood

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Autoinducer 2 (AI-2) is a ubiquitous metabolite but, instead of acting as a “universal signal,” relatively few phenotypes have been associated with it, and many scientists believe AI-2 is often a metabolic byproduct rather than a signal. Here, the aim is to present evidence that AI-2 influences both biofilm formation and motility (swarming and chemotaxis), using Escherichia coli as the model system, to establish AI-2 as a true signal with an important physiological role in this bacterium. In addition, AI-2 signaling is compared to the other primary signal of E. coli, indole, and it is shown that they have opposite effects on biofilm formation and virulence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number386
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalMicroorganisms
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Microbiology
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Virology

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