Quorum sensing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:46, 22 July 2020

Revision as of 13:21, 8 August 2020

Line 1:

In [[biology]], '''quorum sensing''' is the ability to detect and to respond to cell [[population density]] by [[gene regulation]]. As one example, quorum sensing (QS) enables [[bacteria]] to restrict the expression of specific [[gene]]s to the high cell densities at which the resulting [[phenotype]]s will be most beneficial. Many species of [[bacteria]] use quorum sensing to coordinate [[gene expression]] according to the density of their local population. In a similar fashion, some [[social insects]] use quorum sensing to determine where to nest. Also, quorumQuorum sensing mightmay also be useful for cancer cell communications too.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ali |first1=Isra |last2=Alfarouk |first2=Khalid O. |last3=Reshkin |first3=Stephan J. |last4=Ibrahim |first4=Muntaser E. |title=Doxycycline as Potential Anti-cancer Agent |journal=Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry |date=16 January 2018 |volume=17 |issue=12 |doi=10.2174/1871520617666170213111951 |pmid=28270076 |pages=1617–1623}}</ref>

In addition to its function in biological systems, quorum sensing has several useful applications for computing and robotics. In general, quorum sensing can function as a decision-making process in any [[decentralized system]] in which the components have: (a) a means of assessing the number of other components they interact with and (b) a standard response once a threshold number of components is detected.