Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41617725›Full record

ArticleNPJ biofilms and microbiomes2026

Extracellular vesicles as structured vectors of quorum sensing signals influence aquatic microbial communities.

Xueli Xu, Jingjing Lin, Li-Ting Zhu, Lu Long, Yifang Duan, Jafar Hayatov, Lifeng Lin, Huihuang Chen, Qiansheng Huang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in NPJ biofilms and microbiomes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Xueli XuXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Jingjing LinXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Li-Ting ZhuXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Lu LongXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Yifang DuanXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Jafar HayatovXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Lifeng LinXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Huihuang ChenXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
Qiansheng HuangXiamen Key Laboratory of Indoor Air and Health, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China. qshuang@iue.ac.cn.

Funding

National Basic Science Data Center "Environment Health DataBase" NO. NBSDC-DB-21National Natural Science Foundation of China 32161143016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Quorum sensing (QS) orchestrates collective microbial behaviors and functional acclimatization through chemical communication. However, QS in natural waters is challenged by dilution, alkaline hydrolysis, and enzymatic degradation of freely dissolved autoinducers. Here, we demonstrate that extracellular vesicles (EVs) act as selective, durable, and protective vectors for QS signal molecules under environmental stresses. Specifically, EVs preferentially package hydrophobic acyl‑homoserine lactones, concentrate them locally, and shield them from alkaline hydrolysis, and exhibiting long-distance transport. In addition, EVs possess specific affinity to recipients, thus influencing microbial community. Field investigation via multi-omics showed that EV abundance covaried with salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll a, and biomass, which were validated by culture experiments. Our statistical framework demonstrated that organisms producing moderate EV levels contributed significantly to maintaining community stability and ecosystem functions. Distinctively within this group, QS-active species (including Burkholderiaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Roseobacteraceae, Flavobacteriaceae etc.) emerge as key drivers facilitating these crucial ecological roles. Furthermore, metaproteomics of field EVs reveal QS receptor and synthesis proteins, suggesting coordinated transport of signals and proteins, which indicate new routes for QS crosstalk, particularly for taxa bearing luxR/I solos. Our results show that moderately generated EVs are the potentially important QS signal carriers and ecological regulation hubs in natural waters.

Indexed as

BacteriaExtracellular VesiclesMicrobiotaQuorum SensingWater MicrobiologyAcyl-ButyrolactonesMultiomicsProteomicsSignal TransductionAcyl-Butyrolactones

Identifiers

PMID41617725
PMCPMC12960933

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.