quorum sensing

American  

[kwawr-uhm sens-ing] / ˈkwɔr əm ˌsɛns ɪŋ /

noun

1. Bacteriology. a mechanism for communication between bacterial cells that relies on the release and sensing of signal molecules and enables bacteria to coordinate gene expression once a threshold cell population density is reached, before certain gene products are produced that control processes such as the formation of biofilm.

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quorum sensing Scientific  

/ kwôr′əm /

1. A phenomenon in which a population of bacteria produces and responds to intercellular chemical signals whose concentration indicates the density of the population. When the density reaches a certain level, genes are expressed that allow for coordinated group behavior, as in bioluminescence or the formation of biofilms.

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Example Sentences

In a follow-up experiment, they tested their quorum sensing design by programming bacteria to produce a green fluorescent protein, allowing them to confirm that the system activated at the intended moment.

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

Inside the human mouth, roughly 700 different bacterial species constantly exchange information through a process called quorum sensing.

From Science Daily • Dec. 16, 2025

Such conditions, he hypothesizes, could foster superdense bacterial populations whose quorum sensing extends vertically as well as horizontally to adjacent colonies, magnifying the depth and breadth of the resulting milky sea.

From Scientific American • Jul. 23, 2022

Research on the details of quorum sensing has led to advances in growing bacteria for industrial purposes.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

A crucial role for spatial distribution in bacterial quorum sensing.

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017