In the late 1960s, Hastings was studying bioluminescence in the marine bacteria Vibrio fischeri. He and his post-doc, Kenneth Nealson, discovered that bacteria could communicate by secreting a small peptide. This allowed V. fischeri to sense the concentration of their fellow bacteria and, when the density reached a critical level, turn on bioluminescence. Hastings named this process autoinduction, also known as quorum sensing. Quorum sensing has since been shown to play a critical role in bacterial behaviors such as toxin production and biofilm formation.
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Autoinduction: The Discovery of Quorum Sensing in Bacteria
J. Woodland Hastings describes how an interest in bioluminescence led to the discovery of bacterial communication or autoinduction, a process also known as quorum sensing. (Talk recorded in July 2014)
- Part 1: Autoinduction: The Discovery of Quorum Sensing in BacteriaAudience:
- Researcher
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 11:53 - Part 2: The Origin of Luciferases and BioluminescenceAudience:
- Researcher
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 9:44