Role of a Quorum Sensing Signal Acyl-Homoserine Lactone in a Phytobiome

Abstract

A phytobiome is influenced by its many members, which includes plants, soils, microbes, animals (insects), and the constantly fluctuating environment. Plant-microbe interactions represent one of the most impactful relationships inside a phytobiome and may have a beneficial, harmful, or neutral effect on one another. This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the complex network of signal exchange between microbes and plant in a phytobiome, via the quorum-sensing circuit with a special focus on N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) signaling. Incorporating the current understanding of this plant-microbe dynamic by tracing their signals is one of the major tools to customize a sustainable phytobiome. There are still many gaps to cover such as understanding a system-level communication of the phytobiome and the molecular nitty-gritty of signal transport within plants and molecular pathways coordinating plant physiological changes. Future advances would depend on the collaborative effort of interdisciplinary scientist groups backed by advance “omic” techniques to link all the biotic and abiotic components and understand the synchronized dynamic of a phytobiome.