Many bacteria use N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signals to coordinate the behavior of individual cells in a local population. The successful infection of eukaryotic hosts by bacteria seems to depend particularly on such AHL-mediated ''quorum-sensing'' regulation. We have used proteome analysis to show that a eukaryotic host, the model legume Medicago truncatula, is able to detect nanomolar to micromolar concentrations of bacterial AHLs from both symbiotic (Sinorhizobium meliloti) and pathogenic (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria, and that it responds in a global manner by significant changes in the accumulation of over 150 proteins, 99 of which have been identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. The accumulation of specific proteins and isoforms depended on AHL structure, concentration, and time of exposure. AHLs were also found to induce tissue-specific activation of ␤-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter fusions to an auxin-responsive and three chalcone synthase promoters, consistent with AHL-induced changes in the accumulation of auxin-responsive and flavonoid synthesis proteins. In addition, exposure to AHLs was found to induce changes in the secretion of compounds by the plants that mimic quorum-sensing signals and thus have the potential to disrupt quorum sensing in associated bacteria. Our results indicate that eukaryotes have an extensive range of functional responses to AHLs that may play important roles in the beneficial or pathogenic outcomes of eukaryote-prokaryote interactions.

In gram-negative bacteria, many important changes in gene expression and behavior are regulated in a population density-dependent fashion by N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules. Exudates from pea (Pisum sativum) seedlings were found to contain several separable activities that mimicked AHL signals in well-characterized bacterial reporter strains, stimulating AHL-regulated behaviors in some strains while inhibiting such behaviors in others. The chemical nature of the active mimic compounds is currently unknown, but all extracted differently into organic solvents than common bacterial AHLs. Various species of higher plants in addition to pea were found to secrete AHL mimic activities. The AHL signal-mimic compounds could prove to be important in determining the outcome of interactions between higher plants and a diversity of pathogenic, symbiotic, and saprophytic bacteria.

Bacterial quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-cell communication and gene regulatory mechanism that allows bacteria to coordinate swarming, biofilm formation, stress resistance, and production of toxins and secondary metabolites in response to threshold concentrations of QS signals that accumulate within a diffusion-limited environment. This review focuses on the role of QS signaling and QS inhibition in marine bacteria by compounds derived from marine organisms. Since the formation of a biofilm is considered to be an initial step in the development of fouling, direct and indirect effects of QS signals and inhibitors on the process of marine biofouling are discussed. Directions for future investigations and QS-related biotechnological applications are highlighted.

Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in characterization of the coral microbiota. Shifts in its composition often correlate with the appearance of signs of diseases and/or bleaching, thus suggesting a link between microbes, coral health and stability of reef ecosystems. The understanding of interactions in coral-associated microbiota is informed by the on-going characterization of other microbiomes, which suggest that metabolic pathways and functional capabilities define the 'core' microbiota more accurately than the taxonomic diversity of its members. Consistent with this hypothesis, there does not appear to be a consensus on the specificity in the interactions of corals with microbial commensals, even though recent studies report potentially beneficial functions of the coral-associated bacteria. They cycle sulphur, fix nitrogen, produce antimicrobial compounds, inhibit cell-to-cell signalling and disrupt virulence in opportunistic pathogens. While their beneficial functions have been documented, it is not certain whether or how these microbes are selected by the hosts. Therefore, understanding the role of innate immunity, signal and nutrient exchange in the establishment of coral microbiota and in controlling its functions will probably reveal ancient, evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that dictate the outcomes of host-microbial interactions, and impact the resilience of the host.