Bacterial Quorum Sensing and Bioluminescence

 

David L. Popham & Ann M. Stevens

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2006, Volume 27

Abstract

The bacterium Vibrio fischeri produces light when it is growing symbiotically in the light organ of certain fish and squid species. The bacteria sense they are in a light organ because they are present at a high bacterial cell density, which they detect through “quorum sensing.” We use several bacterial strains, each of which carry only part of the genes responsible for the quorum sensing and bioluminescence process. We use chemical and genetic complementation to determine which genes are lacking in each strain by measuring their ability to produce and/or detect a quorum-sensing signal.

Keywords:  complementation, bioluminescence, quorum sensing, plasmid, transformation, competent cells

Virginia Tech (2005)