MODEL FOR GROWTH AND AI-2 TYPE QUORUM SENSING OF SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM SL1344

The last decades, the research on cell-cell communication or quorum sensing has been quite intense. Bacterial communication allows bacteria to coordinate their behavior and to act as one entity. Quorum sensing controls microbiological functions of medical, agricultural and industrial importance and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the conditions under which the signaling occurs, offers possibilities for new applications. In this paper the production of the AI-2 signaling molecule by Salmonella Typhimurium is investigated in a controlled environment (bioreactor). The experimental results are applied to build a macroscopic model that describes the evolution of the AI-2 production and uptake by Salmonella Typhimurium in relation to the growth kinetics and biomass concentration.