User:Nora Stefani/sandbox

Quorum Sensing
A. fischeri uses acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) quorum sensing, which was first discovered in that microbe. Individual cells produce the autoinducer N-3-(oxohexanoyl) homoserine lactone, or 3-oxo-hexanoyl-HSL, at low quantities. This autoinducer is indirectly produced by the luxL gene. When enough cells amass, autoinducer levels are high enough that they begin to bind to LuxR proteins, which acts as a kinase/phophestase in cascade to upregulate expression of the lux operon. Quorum-sensing-induced bioluminescence in A. fischeri is a positive feedback system and once it is switched on it it would take a dramatic decrease in cell density to turn it back off again.

-

Genome
The genome for A. fischeri was completely sequenced in 2004 and consists of two chromosomes, one smaller and one larger. Chromosome 1 has 2.9 million base pairs (mbp) and chromosome 2 has 1.3 mbp, bringing the total genome to to 4.2 mbp.

A. fischeri has the lowest G+C content of 27 Vibrio species, but is still most closely related to the higher-pathogenicity species such as V. cholerae. The genome for A. fischeri also carries mobile genetic elements.