QS systems have been experimentally analyzed in more than 50 different bacterial species and shown to control expression of a wide spectrum of functions, including bioluminescence, virulence, symbiosis, different forms of motility, biofilm formation, production of antibiotics and toxins, and conjugation (49).

exogenous addition of AHLs to sludge resulted in long-lasting impacts on phenol degradation

Coordinated behaviours include bioluminescence3,4, virulence factor production5,6, secondary metabolite production7, competence for DNA uptake8,9 and biofilm formation10,11.

These carboxylated AHLs facilitated the transition from a short cell to filamentous growth, with an altered carbon metabolic flux that favoured the conversion of acetate to methane and a reduced yield in cellular biomass

Deletion of genes thatproduceN-acyl-L-homoserine lactone signals resulted in an increase in denitrification activity, which wasrepressed by exogenous signal molecules.

explosion of findings that other bacterial species controlled genes for conjugation, exoenzyme production and antibiotic synthesis with luxI–luxR-like systems