N-acyl-homoserine lactone-mediated quorum sensing blockage, a novel strategy for attenuating pathogenicity of Gram-negative bacterial plant pathogens

Quorum sensing is a bacterial communication mechanism by which bacteria sense their own population size and couple specific gene expression to cell density. In Gram-negative bacteria, the most commonly used quorum sensing signals are N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). It is now apparent that many pathogenic bacteria employ quorum sensing to control premature expression of virulence factors. This control is thought to decrease the likelihood that the plant host would detect the pathogen’s presence and activate its defense system. Novel strategies that target bacterial quorum sensing systems in order to control plant bacterial diseases are discussed.