Figure 2.

Potential parallels between the mitochondrial unfolded protein response and quorum sensing in gram positive bacteria. In the C. elegans UPR^mt response, mitochondrial proteins (indicated by blue swirls) are degraded by matrix proteases and the oligopeptides that are generated are then exported through the ABC transporter family member HAF-1. Once in the cytosol, these peptides can influence the subcellular localization of the transcription factor ATFS-1. Nuclear ATFS-1 is capable of orchestrating a broad transcriptional response to mitochondrial stress. As such, this pathway establishes a method for mitochondrial and nuclear genomes to communicate. In some gram positive bacteria, intracellularly generated peptides can be similarly exported through an ABC transporter protein. These peptides can be detected in the environment by a membrane-bound histidine kinases (HK) sensor. The activation of the HK sensor leads to phosphorylation of a response regulator (RR) protein that, in turn, can alter gene expression. This program allows communication between dispersed gram positive bacteria and thus coordinated behavior of widely dispersed bacterial genomes.