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AHL-mediated quorum sensing drives plastisphere formation and elevates pathogenic potential
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Acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing actively drives plastisphere biofilm formation on microplastics by upregulating adhesion, motility, and matrix production genes, while also enriching pathogen-associated and virulence-related functions within the community. These findings establish AHL-mediated quorum sensing as a key mechanism by which microplastic surfaces become concentrated reservoirs of potentially pathogenic microorganisms.
The biofilm colonizing plastic debris, termed 'the plastisphere', is of growing global concern due to escalating plastic pollution. However, the biological mechanisms underpinning plastisphere formation remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed public global metagenomes, revealing a significant enrichment of genes associated with quorum sensing (QS) and biofilm formation, with a pronounced signal for acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) QS. Using controlled microfluidic and tubular column experiments, we further demonstrate that exogenous AHL actively promotes plastisphere formation, biomass accumulation, and extracellular polymeric substance production on microplastics, whereas a quorum quenching agent (AHL acylase) effectively inhibits these processes. Multi-omics analyses revealed that AHLs can transcriptionally activate genes involved in adhesion, motility, chemotaxis, and matrix production, fundamentally reshaping community structure, restructuring inferred microbial interaction networks, and driving community assembly toward stronger deterministic selection. AHL stimulation also increased the relative abundance and expression of pathogen-associated and virulence-related functions, suggesting an elevated virulence potential within the plastisphere under QS-promoting conditions. Together, our findings establish AHL-mediated QS as a central driver of plastisphere assembly and a key determinant of risk profile, highlighting its critical role in understanding and potentially mitigating the growing environmental and health hazards associated with microplastic pollution.
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Researchers collected microplastics from the ocean and characterised the quorum-sensing bacteria living in their biofilms — microbes that communicate chemically to coordinate group behaviours like biofilm formation and antibiotic production. Eight different quorum-sensing bacterial strains were isolated from polypropylene and PVC microplastics, and their signalling molecules (AHLs) were profiled. The findings show that microplastics act as rafts dispersing complex microbial communities, including potentially harmful antibiotic-producing and biofilm-forming bacteria, across the global ocean.
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This perspective examines the role of quorum sensing in microbial biofilms that form on microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, arguing that the surface properties of MPs—including hydrophobicity, chemical leachates, and aging state—create novel signaling environments that may decouple quorum sensing from normal population-density controls. These altered signaling landscapes could enhance horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genes, warranting reconceptualization of microplastics as 'quorum-modulating' surfaces.
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Lab tests found that UV328, a common plastic additive, sped up microbial community formation on polystyrene and polylactic acid microplastics by interfering with bacterial chemical signaling. Genes linked to biofilm formation increased, and this effect was reversed when the signaling was chemically blocked, suggesting plastic additives may actively influence microbial life on plastics in water environments.
Marine Plastic Debris: A New Surface for Microbial Colonization
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This review examines the "Plastisphere" -- the community of microbes that rapidly colonizes plastic debris in the ocean -- covering biofilm development, potential biodegradation, and the hitchhiking of harmful bacteria. Researchers found that microbial communities on plastics do not dramatically differ from those on other inert surfaces, especially in mature biofilms. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and calls for more environmentally realistic research into how these plastic-associated microbes interact with marine ecosystems.
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Researchers examined how biofilms form on plastic debris in aquatic environments and how the resulting microbial communities evolve over time, finding that the plastisphere hosts distinct microbial assemblages including potential pathogens. The study has implications for understanding plastic debris as a vector for microbial dispersal.
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