Bioluminescence in bacteria can be regulated through a phenomenon known as autoinduction or quorum sensing. Quorum sensing is a form of cell-to-cell communication that alters gene expression in response to cell density. Autoinducer is a diffusible pheromone produced constitutively by bioluminescent bacteria and serves as an extracellular signalling molecule. When the concentration of autoinducer secreted by bioluminescent cells in the environment reaches a threshold (above 10 cells per mL), it induces the expression of luciferase and other enzymes involved in bioluminescence. Bacteria are able to estimate their density by sensing the level of autoinducer in the environment and regulate their bioluminescence such that it is expressed only when there is a sufficiently high cell population. A sufficiently high cell population ensures that the bioluminescence produced by the cells will be visible in the environment.
A well known example of quorum sensing is that which occurs between Aliivibrio fischeri and its host. This process is regulated by LuxI and LuxR, encoded by luxI and luxR respectively. LuxI is autoinducer synthase that produces autoinducer (AI) while LuxR functions as both a receptor and transcription factor for the lux operon. When LuxR binds AI, LuxR-AI complex activates transcription of the lux operon and induces the expression of luciferase. Using this system, A. fischeri has shown that bioluminescence is expressed only when the bacteria are host-associated and have reached sufficient cell densities.
Another example of quorum sensing by bioluminescent bacteria is by Vibrio harveyi, which are known to be free-living. Unlike Aliivibrio fischeri, V. harveyi do not possess the luxI/luxR regulatory genes and therefore have a different mechanism of quorum sensing regulation. Instead, they use the system known as three-channel quorum sensing system. Vibrio use small non-coding RNAs called Qrr RNAs to regulate quorum sensing, using them to control translation of energy-costly molecules.