Microorganisms (Apr 2021)

Regulation of Plant Mineral Nutrition by Signal Molecules

  • Vipin Chandra Kalia,
  • Chunjie Gong,
  • Sanjay K. S. Patel,
  • Jung-Kul Lee

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040774
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 4
p. 774

Abstract

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Microbes operate their metabolic activities at a unicellular level. However, it has been revealed that a few metabolic activities only prove beneficial to microbes if operated at high cell densities. These cell density-dependent activities termed quorum sensing (QS) operate through specific chemical signals. In Gram-negative bacteria, the most widely reported QS signals are acylhomoserine lactones. In contrast, a novel QS-like system has been elucidated, regulating communication between microbes and plants through strigolactones. These systems regulate bioprocesses, which affect the health of plants, animals, and human beings. This mini-review presents recent developments in the QS and QS-like signal molecules in promoting plant health.

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