Production, detection and application perspectives of quorum sensing autoinducer-2 in bacteria

Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) is a major signal molecule in bacterial quorum sensing (QS) besides N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs or AI-1). AI-2 mediated QS pathways have been proved to regulate gene expression and physiological behaviors of bacteria in either intraspecies or interspecies communication. Recent reviews have mainly summarized AI-2 structures, AI-2 mediated QS pathways and the role of AI-2 in gene regulation, etc. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of AI-2 production, detection and applications. Firstly, intracellular AI-2 synthetic routes were outlined and environmental influences on AI-2 production were focused. Furthermore, recent advances in AI-2 detection and quantification were elucidated from an overall perspective. An in-depth understanding of mechanisms and features of various detection methods may facilitate development of new technologies aimed at signal molecule detection. Finally, utilization of AI-2 mediated QS in health improvement, water treatment and drug production indicate promising and extensive application perspectives of QS strategies.