Role and regulation of bacterial LuxR-like regulators.

LuxR transcriptional regulator is a key player in Quorum Sensing (QS), coordinates the expression of a variety of genes, including those encoding virulence factors and antibiotics biosynthesis, motility, nodulation, plasmid transfer, bioluminescence, and biofilm formation. The characteristics and roles of this family, especially those of Mycobacterium, are summarized in this paper to give clues for drug target discovery.