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PROSITE documentation PDOC00731 |
Autoinducers are hormone-like molecules produced by bacteria as signals to sense cell density and activate adaptations, by a process termed quorum sensing. N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (OHHL) is a molecule produced by a number of Gram-negative bacteria that acts as an autoinducer by binding to transcriptional regulatory proteins and activating them [1,2]. OHHL and related molecules such as N-butanoyl- (BHL), N-hexanoyl- (HHL) and N-oxododecanoyl- (PAI) homoserine lactones are produced by a family of proteins which have a length of about 200 amino acids. The 3D structures of autoinducer synthases (see <PDB:1KZF>) have features essential for phosphopantetheine binding and N-acylation that are similar to that of Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferases (GNAT) (see <PDOC51186>) [3,4].
Some proteins currently known to belong to the autoinducer synthase family:
The best conserved region is located in the N-terminal region and can be used as a signature pattern. We also developed a profile which covers the entire autoinducer synthase domain.
Last update:March 2006 / Text revised; profile added.
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PROSITE methods (with tools and information) covered by this documentation:
1 | Authors | Swift S. Winson M.K. Chan P.F. Bainton N.J. Birdsall M. Reeves P.J. Rees C.E.D. Chhabra S.R. Hill P.J. Throup J.P. Bycroft B.W. Salmond G.P.C. Williams P. Stewart G.S.A.B. |
Title | A novel strategy for the isolation of luxI homologues: evidence for the widespread distribution of a LuxR:LuxI superfamily in enteric bacteria. | |
Source | Mol. Microbiol. 10:511-520(1993). | |
PubMed ID | 7968529 |
2 | Authors | Latifi A. Winson M.K. Foglino M. Bycroft B.W. Stewart G.S.A.B. Lazdunski A. Williams P. |
Title | Multiple homologues of LuxR and LuxI control expression of virulence determinants and secondary metabolites through quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. | |
Source | Mol. Microbiol. 17:333-343(1995). | |
PubMed ID | 7494482 |
3 | Authors | Watson W.T. Minogue T.D. Val D.L. von Bodman S.B. Churchill M.E. |
Title | Structural basis and specificity of acyl-homoserine lactone signal production in bacterial quorum sensing. | |
Source | Mol. Cell 9:685-694(2002). | |
PubMed ID | 11931774 |
4 | Authors | Gould T.A. Schweizer H.P. Churchill M.E. |
Title | Structure of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa acyl-homoserinelactone synthase LasI. | |
Source | Mol. Microbiol. 53:1135-1146(2004). | |
PubMed ID | 15306017 | |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2004.04211.x |