N-butyryl-L-Homocysteine thiolactone

Quorum sensing is a regulatory system used by bacteria for controlling gene expression in response to increasing cell density. Controlling bacterial infections by quenching their quorum sensing systems is a promising field of study. The expression of specific target genes, such as transcriptional regulators belonging to the LuxIR family of proteins, is coordinated by synthesis of diffusible acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) molecules. N-butyryl-L-Homocysteine thio-lactone is an analog of N-butyryl-L-homoserine lactone, the small diffusible signaling molecule involved in quorum sensing, thereby controlling gene expression and cellular metabolism. N-butyryl-L-Homocysteine thio-lactone induces violacein expression in C. violaceum mutants usually not able to produce AHLs.