Crowd Controlled—Host Quorum Sensing Drives Phage Decision

In the January issue of Cell, Silpe and Bassler (2019) Silpe J.E. Bassler B.L. A host-produced quorum-sensing autoinducer controls a phage lysis-lysogeny decision. Cell. 2019; 176 : 268-280.e13 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar characterize a phage that looks beyond the boundaries of infected host cells by directly wiretapping their intercellular communication. This information influences the phage’s decision of when to kill the host, likely in order to optimize the ecological prospects of phage progeny