Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell–cell communication process that allows bacteria to modify their behaviour in response to changes in the cell number and species composition of the vicinal community. Many, if not all, bacteria use QS to orchestrate the gene expression programs underlying collective behaviors. QS depends on the production, detection, and response to extracellular signaling molecules called autoinducers (AIs). In the past few years, new QS-dependent functions have been discovered in various bacterial organisms frequently involving new regulatory traits and previously unknown signaling components. However, the molecular and physiological underpinnings underlying these systems are typically unknown. In this project, we study the regulatory and functional roles of a recently discovered QS pathway. The AI of this system is a novel pyrazine molecule, called DPO (3,5-dimethylpyrazin-2-ol), which is recognized by the transcriptional regulator, VqmA. DPO and VqmA were identified in the major human pathogen, Vibrio cholerae, however, DPO production is wide-spread and occurs in virulent bacteria, but also in commensal species of the intestinal microbiota. How pathogens communicate with other species to orchestrate virulence and other collective functions is largely unknown. Studying DPO signaling will provide key insights into this fascinating process, which could also become relevant for the development of innovative treatment strategies targeting multi-resistant microbial pathogens.