Quorum-sensing in yeast and its potential in wine making

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 100; no. 18; pp. 7841 - 7852
• Main Authors: Avbelj, Martina, Zupan, Jure, Raspor, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.09.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Analysis; Bacteria; Biofilms; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Candida albicans; Cell density; Communication; Ecosystems; Ethanol; External stimuli; Fermentation; flavor; Flavors; Food; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; genetic background; group behavior; Indoles - metabolism; Life Sciences; mechanism of action; Methods; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiological research; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mini-Review; phenylethyl alcohol; Phenylethyl Alcohol - analogs & derivatives; Phenylethyl Alcohol - metabolism; Physiological aspects; Quorum Sensing; Reviews; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Studies; Tyrosol; vines; Vitaceae; Wine; Wine - microbiology; Wine making; wine yeasts; winemaking; Wines; Yeast; Yeasts (Fungi); Yeasts - physiology; Quorum-sensing; Yeast; 2-Phenylethanol; Tryptophol; Wine fermentation; Tyrosol; ARO genes
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7758-3

This mini-review synthesises the present knowledge of microbial quorum-sensing, with a specific focus on quorum-sensing in yeast, and especially in wine yeast. In vine and wine ecosystems, yeast co-interact with a large variety of microorganisms, thereby affecting the fermentation process and, consequently, the flavour of the wine. The precise connections between microbial interactions and quorum-sensing remain unclear, but we describe here how and when some species start to produce quorum-sensing molecules to synchronously adapt their collective behaviour to new conditions. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae , the quorum-sensing molecules were identified as 2-phenylethanol and tryptophol. However, it was recently shown that also a quorum-sensing molecule formerly identified only in Candida albicans , tyrosol, appears to be regulated in S. cerevisiae according to cell density. This review describes the methods for detection and quantification of those quorum-sensing molecules, their underlying mechanisms of action, and their genetic background. It also examines the external stimuli that evoke the quorum-sensing mechanism in the wine-processing environment. The review closes with insight into the biotechnological applications that are already making use of the advantages of quorum-sensing systems and indicates the important questions that still need to be addressed in future research into quorum-sensing.