N-Undecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone

– Quorum sensing is a regulatory system used by bacteria to control gene expression in response to increased cell density. This regulatory process manifests itself in a variety of phenotypes, including biofilm formation and virulence factor production. Coordinated gene expression is achieved through the production, release and detection of small diffusible signaling molecules called autoinducers. N-acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs) comprise a class of such autoinducers, each of which generally consists of a fatty acid coupled to a homoserine lactone (HSL). Modulation of bacterial quorum-sensing signaling systems to suppress pathogenesis represents a new approach to antimicrobial research for infectious diseases. AHLs differ in acyl length (C4-C18), C3 substitution (hydrogen, hydroxyl, or oxo group), and the presence or absence of one or more carbon-carbon double bonds in the fatty acid chain. These differences confer signaling specificity through the affinity of the LuxR family of transcriptional regulators. C11-HSL has a rare odd-numbered acyl carbon chain and may be a minor quorum-sensing signaling molecule in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.