Signal discrimination by differential regulation of protein stability in quorum sensing.

Journal of Molecular Biology
Cameron SmithLingchong You

Abstract

Quorum sensing (QS) is a communication mechanism exploited by a large variety of bacteria to coordinate gene expression at the population level. In Gram-negative bacteria, QS occurs via synthesis and detection of small chemical signals, most of which belong to the acyl-homoserine lactone class. In such a system, binding of an acyl-homoserine lactone signal to its cognate transcriptional regulator (R-protein) often induces stabilization and subsequent dimerization of the R-protein, which results in the regulation of downstream gene expression. Existence of diverse QS systems within and among species of bacteria indicates that each bacterium needs to distinguish among a myriad of structurally similar chemical signals. We show, using a mathematical model, that fast degradation of an R-protein monomer can facilitate discrimination of signals that differentially stabilize it. Furthermore, our results suggest an inverse correlation between the stability of an R-protein and the achievable limits of fidelity in signal discrimination. In particular, an unstable R-protein tends to be more specific to its cognate signal, whereas a stable R-protein tends to be more promiscuous. These predictions are consistent with experimental data on wel...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 8, 2012·BMC Systems Biology·Konstantinos BiliourisYiannis N Kaznessis
Mar 2, 2010·Journal of Biological Engineering·Goutam J NistalaKaustubh D Bhalerao
Sep 8, 2009·Current Opinion in Biotechnology·Anand PaiLingchong You
Sep 30, 2014·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Peter J EnyeartAndrew D Ellington
May 5, 2009·Trends in Biotechnology·Kaustubh D Bhalerao
Feb 14, 2012·Molecular Cell·Joao Paulo TavanezJuan Valcárcel
Aug 19, 2011·Molecular Systems Biology·Nazanin SaeidiMatthew Wook Chang
Nov 25, 2020·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Minjeong KangSuhyung Cho

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