Disrupting quorum sensing alters social interactions in Chromobacterium violaceum

AbstractQuorum sensing (QS) is a communication system used by bacteria to coordinate a wide panel of biological functions in a cell density-dependent manner. The Gram-negative Chromobacterium violaceum has previously been shown to use an acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-based QS to regulate various behaviors, including the production of proteases, hydrogen cyanide, or antimicrobial compounds such as violacein. By using combined metabolomic and proteomic approaches, we demonstrated that QS modulates the production of antimicrobial and toxic compounds in C. violaceum ATCC 12472. We provided the first evidence of anisomycin antibiotic production by this strain as well as evidence of its regulation by QS and identified new AHLs produced by C. violaceum ATCC 12472. Furthermore, we demonstrated that targeting AHLs with lactonase leads to major QS disruption yielding significant molecular and phenotypic changes. These modifications resulted in drastic changes in social interactions between C. violaceum and a Gram-positive bacterium (Bacillus cereus), a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), immune cells (murine macrophages), and an animal model (planarian Schmidtea mediterranea). These results underscored that AHL-based QS plays a key role in the capacity of C. violaceum to interact with micro- and macroorganisms and that quorum quenching can affect microbial population dynamics beyond AHL-producing bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria.

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Quenching of acyl-homoserine lactone-dependent quorum sensing by enzymatic disruption of signal molecules.

Acta Biochimica Polonica ◽

10.18388/abp.2009_2512 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Author(s):

Robert Czajkowski ◽

Sylwia Jafra

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Degradation Products ◽

Antibiotic Production ◽

Quorum Quenching ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Signal Molecules ◽

Gram Negative Bacteria ◽

Gram Negative ◽

Animal Pathogens

Many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria communicate using small diffusible signal molecules called autoinducers. This process, known as quorum sensing (QS), links cell density to the expression of genes as diverse as those associated with virulence factors production of plant and animal pathogens, bioluminescence, antibiotic production, sporulation or biofilm formation. In Gram-negative bacteria, this communication is mainly mediated by N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs). It has been proven that inactivation of the signal molecules attenuates many of the processes controlled by QS. Enzymatic degradation of the signal molecules has been amply described. Two main classes of AHL-inactivating enzymes were identified: AHL lactonases which hydrolyse the lactone ring in AHLs, and AHL acylases (syn. AHL amidases) which liberate a free homoserine lactone and a fatty acid. Recently, AHL oxidoreductase, a novel type of AHL inactivating enzyme, was described. The activity of these enzymes results in silencing the QS-regulated processes, as degradation products cannot act as signal molecules. The ability to inactivate AHL (quorum quenching, QQ) might be useful in controlling virulence of many pathogenic bacteria.

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Effect of New Analogs of Hexyloxy Phenyl Imidazoline on Quorum Sensing in Chromobacterium violaceum and In Silico Analysis of Ligand-Receptor Interactions

Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1155/2020/8735190 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

José Luis Herrera-Arizmendi ◽

Everardo Curiel-Quesada ◽

José Correa-Basurto ◽

Martiniano Bello ◽

Alicia Reyes-Arellano

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

In Silico Analysis ◽

Binding Mode ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Chromobacterium Violaceum ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Attractive Alternative ◽

Allosteric Site ◽

Gram Negative

The increasing common occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become an urgent public health issue. There are currently some infections without any effective treatment, which require new therapeutic strategies. An attractive alternative is the design of compounds capable of disrupting bacterial communication known as quorum sensing (QS). In Gram-negative bacteria, such communication is regulated by acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs). Triggering of QS after bacteria have reached a high cell density allows them to proliferate before expressing virulence factors. Our group previously reported that hexyloxy phenylimidazoline (9) demonstrated 71% inhibitory activity of QS at 100 μM (IC50 = 90.9 μM) in Chromobacterium violaceum, a Gram-negative bacterium. The aim of the present study was to take 9 as a lead compound to design and synthesize three 2-imidazolines (13–15) and three 2-oxazolines (16–18), to be evaluated as quorum-sensing inhibitors on C. violaceum CV026. We were looking for compounds with a higher affinity towards the Cvi receptor of this bacterium and the ability to inhibit QS. The binding mode of the test compounds on the Cvi receptor was explored with docking studies and molecular dynamics. It was found that 8-pentyloxyphenyl-2-imidazoline (13) reduced the production of violacein (IC50 = 56.38 μM) without affecting bacterial growth, suggesting inhibition of quorum sensing. Indeed, compound 13 is apparently one of the best QS inhibitors known to date. Molecular docking revealed the affinity of compound 13 for the orthosteric site of N-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (C6-AHL) on the CviR protein. Ten amino acid residues in the active binding site of C6-AHL in the Cvi receptor interacted with 13, and 7 of these are the same as those interacting with AHL. Contrarily, 8-octyloxyphenyl-2-imidazoline (14), 8-decyloxyphenyl-2-imidazoline (15), and 9-decyloxyphenyl-2-oxazoline (18) bound only to an allosteric site and thus did not compete with C6-AHL for the orthosteric site.

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Las quorum sensing autoinducer suppresses growth and biofilm production in Legionella species

Microbiology ◽

10.1099/mic.0.026641-0 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 155 (6) ◽

pp. 1934-1939 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Soichiro Kimura ◽

Kazuhiro Tateda ◽

Yoshikazu Ishii ◽

Manabu Horikawa ◽

Shinichi Miyairi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Quorum Sensing ◽

Legionella Pneumophila ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Cell Signalling ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Alcaligenes Faecalis ◽

Suppressive Effect ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

A Cell

Bacteria commonly communicate with each other by a cell-to-cell signalling mechanism known as quorum sensing (QS). Recent studies have shown that the Las QS autoinducer N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa performs a variety of functions not only in intraspecies communication, but also in interspecies and interkingdom interactions. In this study, we report the effects of Pseudomonas 3-oxo-C12-HSL on the growth and suppression of virulence factors in other bacterial species that frequently co-exist with Ps. aeruginosa in nature. It was found that 3-oxo-C12-HSL, but not its analogues, suppressed the growth of Legionella pneumophila in a dose-dependent manner. However, 3-oxo-C12-HSL did not exhibit a growth-suppressive effect on Serratia marcescens, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Alcaligenes faecalis and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. A concentration of 50 μM 3-oxo-C12-HSL completely inhibited the growth of L. pneumophila. Additionally, a significant suppression of biofilm formation was demonstrated in L. pneumophila exposed to 3-oxo-C12-HSL. Our results suggest that the Pseudomonas QS autoinducer 3-oxo-C12-HSL exerts both bacteriostatic and virulence factor-suppressive activities on L. pneumophila alone.

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The Complex Quorum Sensing Circuitry of Burkholderia thailandensis Is Both Hierarchically and Homeostatically Organized

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.01861-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Servane Le Guillouzer ◽

Marie-Christine Groleau ◽

Eric Déziel

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Regulatory Network ◽

Target Genes ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Burkholderia Thailandensis ◽

Bacterial Communication ◽

A Cell

ABSTRACT The genome of the bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis encodes three complete LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing (QS) systems: BtaI1/BtaR1 (QS-1), BtaI2/BtaR2 (QS-2), and BtaI3/BtaR3 (QS-3). The LuxR-type transcriptional regulators BtaR1, BtaR2, and BtaR3 modulate the expression of target genes in association with various N-acyl-l-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as signaling molecules produced by the LuxI-type synthases BtaI1, BtaI2, and BtaI3. We have systematically dissected the complex QS circuitry of B. thailandensis strain E264. Direct quantification of N-octanoyl-homoserine lactone (C8-HSL), N-3-hydroxy-decanoyl-homoserine lactone (3OHC10-HSL), and N-3-hydroxy-octanoyl-homoserine lactone (3OHC8-HSL), the primary AHLs produced by this bacterium, was performed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in the wild-type strain and in QS deletion mutants. This was compared to the transcription of btaI1, btaI2, and btaI3 using chromosomal mini-CTX-lux transcriptional reporters. Furthermore, the levels of expression of btaR1, btaR2, and btaR3 were monitored by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). We observed that C8-HSL, 3OHC10-HSL, and 3OHC8-HSL are differentially produced over time during bacterial growth and correlate with the btaI1, btaI2, and btaI3 gene expression profiles, revealing a successive activation of the corresponding QS systems. Moreover, the transcription of the btaR1, btaR2, and btaR3 genes is modulated by cognate and noncognate AHLs, showing that their regulation depends on themselves and on other QS systems. We conclude that the three QS systems in B. thailandensis are interdependent, suggesting that they cooperate dynamically and function in a concerted manner in modulating the expression of QS target genes through a successive regulatory network. IMPORTANCE Quorum sensing (QS) is a widespread bacterial communication system coordinating the expression of specific genes in a cell density-dependent manner and allowing bacteria to synchronize their activities and to function as multicellular communities. QS plays a crucial role in bacterial pathogenicity by regulating the expression of a wide spectrum of virulence/survival factors and is essential to environmental adaptation. The results presented here demonstrate that the multiple QS systems coexisting in the bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis, which is considered the avirulent version of the human pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei and thus commonly used as an alternative study model, are hierarchically and homeostatically organized. We found these QS systems to be finely integrated into a complex regulatory network, including transcriptional and posttranscriptional interactions, and further incorporating growth stages and temporal expression. These results provide a unique, comprehensive illustration of a sophisticated QS network and will contribute to a better comprehension of the regulatory mechanisms that can be involved in the expression of QS-controlled genes, in particular those associated with the establishment of host-pathogen interactions and acclimatization to the environment. IMPORTANCE Quorum sensing (QS) is a widespread bacterial communication system coordinating the expression of specific genes in a cell density-dependent manner and allowing bacteria to synchronize their activities and to function as multicellular communities. QS plays a crucial role in bacterial pathogenicity by regulating the expression of a wide spectrum of virulence/survival factors and is essential to environmental adaptation. The results presented here demonstrate that the multiple QS systems coexisting in the bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis, which is considered the avirulent version of the human pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei and thus commonly used as an alternative study model, are hierarchically and homeostatically organized. We found these QS systems to be finely integrated into a complex regulatory network, including transcriptional and posttranscriptional interactions, and further incorporating growth stages and temporal expression. These results provide a unique, comprehensive illustration of a sophisticated QS network and will contribute to a better comprehension of the regulatory mechanisms that can be involved in the expression of QS-controlled genes, in particular those associated with the establishment of host-pathogen interactions and acclimatization to the environment.

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The AinS autoinducer synthase and LitR master regulator of quorum sensing regulate N-3-hydroxy-decanoyl-homoserine-lactone production and motility in Aliivibrio wodanis 06/09/139

10.21203/rs.2.10994/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Amudha Deepalakshmi Maharajan ◽

Hilde Hansen ◽

Nils Peder Willassen

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Cell Density ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Temperature Tolerance ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Secretion Systems ◽

Master Regulator ◽

Density Dependent ◽

Ulcer Disease ◽

A Cell

Abstract Background Quorum Sensing (QS) is a cell to cell communication system, in which bacteria synthesize and respond to signaling molecules called autoinducers (AI). QS is cell density dependent and known to be involved in regulating virulence, motility and secretion systems to interact with the host or other bacteria. Aliivibrio wodanis is frequently isolated together with Moritella viscosa from the infected Atlantic salmon during outbreaks of the winter ulcer disease. M. viscosa is the main causative agent of the disease while the presence of A. wodanis is still unclear. It is hypothesized that A. wodanis might influence the progression of winter ulcer. The genome of A. wodanis 06/09/139 encodes two autoinducer synthase genes (ainS and luxS) and a master regulator litR. LitR homologs in other aliivibrios have been shown to regulate several phenotypes in a cell density dependent manner. Moreover, a previous study has shown that A. wodanis 06/09/139 produces only one AHL N-3-hydroxy-decanoyl-homoserine-lactone (3OHC10-HSL). Hence, in this work, we have studied the QS system in A. wodanis 06/09/139 by knocking out QS genes ainS and litR. The effects of the deletions were studied with regard to growth, AHL production and motility at different temperatures. Results By using HPLC-MS/MS, we found that the deletion of ainS in A. wodanis 06/09/139 resulted in the loss of 3OHC10-HSL production. The 3OHC10-HSL production in A. wodanis 06/09/139 increased with increase in cell density and more 3OHC10-HSL was produced at 6°C than at 12, 16 and 20°C. The litR mutant demonstrated a ~20% reduction in the production of 3OHC10-HSL relative to the wild type at the stationary phase. Compared to the wildtype and the ainS mutant strains, the litR mutant resulted in a strain with improved temperature tolerance. The motility in mutants (∆litR and ∆ainS) were significantly higher than that of the wildtype. Conclusions Our study shows that AinS in A. wodanis 06/09/139 is the AHL synthase responsible for 3OHC10-HSL production, where the production is both cell density and temperature dependent. Our data also shows that LitR regulates 3OHC10-HSL production only to a minor extent and both LitR and AinS are negative regulators of motility.

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Acyl-group specificity of AHL synthases involved in quorum-sensing in Roseobacter group bacteria

Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry ◽

10.3762/bjoc.14.112 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 1309-1316 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lisa Ziesche ◽

Jan Rinkel ◽

Jeroen S Dickschat ◽

Stefan Schulz

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Chain Length ◽

Acyl Chain ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Incubation Experiments ◽

Dinoroseobacter Shibae ◽

A Cell ◽

Acyl Coenzyme A

N-Acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) are important bacterial messengers, mediating different bacterial traits by quorum sensing in a cell-density dependent manner. AHLs are also produced by many bacteria of the marine Roseobacter group, which constitutes a large group within the marine microbiome. Often, specific mixtures of AHLs differing in chain length and oxidation status are produced by bacteria, but how the biosynthetic enzymes, LuxI homologs, are selecting the correct acyl precursors is largely unknown. We have analyzed the AHL production in Dinoroseobacter shibae and three Phaeobacter inhibens strains, revealing strain-specific mixtures. Although large differences were present between the species, the fatty acid profiles, the pool for the acyl precursors for AHL biosynthesis, were very similar. To test the acyl-chain selectivity, the three enzymes LuxI1 and LuxI2 from D. shibae DFL-12 as well as PgaI2 from P. inhibens DSM 17395 were heterologously expressed in E. coli and the enzymes isolated for in vitro incubation experiments. The enzymes readily accepted shortened acyl coenzyme A analogs, N-pantothenoylcysteamine thioesters of fatty acids (PCEs). Fifteen PCEs were synthesized, varying in chain length from C4 to C20, the degree of unsaturation and also including unusual acid esters, e.g., 2E,11Z-C18:2-PCE. The latter served as a precursor of the major AHL of D. shibae DFL-12 LuxI1, 2E,11Z-C18:2-homoserine lactone (HSL). Incubation experiments revealed that PgaI2 accepts all substrates except C4 and C20-PCE. Competition experiments demonstrated a preference of this enzyme for C10 and C12 PCEs. In contrast, the LuxI enzymes of D. shibae are more selective. While 2E,11Z-C18:2-PCE is preferentially accepted by LuxI1, all other PCEs were not, except for the shorter, saturated C10–C14-PCEs. The AHL synthase LuxI2 accepted only C14 PCE and 3-hydroxydecanoyl-PCE. In summary, chain-length selectivity in AHLs can vary between different AHL enzymes. Both, a broad substrate acceptance and tuned specificity occur in the investigated enzymes.

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Chitinolytic Activity in Chromobacterium violaceum: Substrate Analysis and Regulation by Quorum Sensing

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.180.17.4435-4441.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 180 (17) ◽

pp. 4435-4441 ◽

Cited By ~ 138

Author(s):

Leonid S. Chernin ◽

Michael K. Winson ◽

Jacquelyn M. Thompson ◽

Shoshan Haran ◽

Barrie W. Bycroft ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Sodium Dodecyl ◽

High Specificity ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Chromobacterium Violaceum ◽

Chitinolytic Activity ◽

Gram Negative ◽

Molecular Masses ◽

Chitinase Production

ABSTRACT Quorum sensing control mediated by N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signaling molecules has been established as a key feature of the regulation of exoenzyme production in many gram-negative bacteria. In Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 31532 a number of phenotypic characteristics, including production of the purple pigment violacein, hydrogen cyanide, antibiotics, and exoproteases are known to be regulated by the endogenous AHLN-hexanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (HHL). In this study we show that C. violaceum produces a set of chitinolytic enzymes whose production is regulated by HHL. The chitinolytic activity was induced in strains grown in the presence of chitin as the sole carbon source and quantitated in the secreted proteins by using p-nitrophenol analogs of disaccharide, trisaccharide, and tetrasaccharide oligomers ofN-acetylglucosamine. By using 4-methylumbelliferyl analogs of the same oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine as substrates for proteins separated and renatured by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, at least six enzymes were detected: a chitobiase with high specificity to a dimeric substrate of 87 kDa, two N-acetylglucosaminidases with apparent molecular masses of 162 and 133 kDa, two endochitinases of 108 and 67 kDa, and a chitobiosidase of 56 kDa. In addition, two unidentified bands of >205 kDa were found where a tetrameric chitin derivative was used as a substrate. A pleiotropic mini-Tn5 mutant ofC. violaceum (CV026) that is defective in HHL production and other quorum-sensing-regulated factors was also found to be completely deficient in chitinolytic activity. Growth of this mutant on minimal medium with chitin supplemented with culture supernatant from the C. violaceum wild-type strain or 10 μM synthetic HHL restored chitinase production to the level shown by the parental strain. These results constitute the most complete evidence so far for regulation of chitinolytic activity by AHL signaling in a gram-negative bacterium.

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Control of Acetic Acid Fermentation by Quorum Sensing via N-Acylhomoserine Lactones in Gluconacetobacter intermedius

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.01698-07 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 190 (7) ◽

pp. 2546-2555 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Aya Iida ◽

Yasuo Ohnishi ◽

Sueharu Horinouchi

Keyword(s):

Acetic Acid ◽

Quorum Sensing ◽

Parental Strain ◽

Gluconic Acid ◽

Acyl Chain ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Transcriptional Analysis ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Acid Fermentation ◽

Gram Negative

ABSTRACT A number of gram-negative bacteria regulate gene expression in a cell density-dependent manner by quorum sensing via N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs). Gluconacetobacter intermedius NCI1051, a gram-negative acetic acid bacterium, produces three different AHLs, N-decanoyl-l-homoserine lactone, N-dodecanoyl-l-homoserine lactone, and an N-dodecanoyl-l-homoserine lactone with a single unsaturated bond in its acyl chain, as determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Two genes encoding an AHL synthase and a cognate regulator were cloned from strain NCI1051 and designated ginI and ginR, respectively. Disruption of ginI or ginR abolished AHL production, indicating that NCI1051 contains a single set of quorum-sensing genes. Transcriptional analysis showed that ginI is activated by GinR, which is consistent with the finding that there is an inverted repeat whose nucleotide sequence is similar to the sequence bound by members of the LuxR family at position −45 with respect to the transcriptional start site of ginI. A single gene, designated ginA, located just downstream of ginI is transcribed by read-through from the GinR-inducible ginI promoter. A ginA mutant, as well as the ginI and ginR mutants, grew more rapidly in medium containing 2% (vol/vol) ethanol and accumulated acetic acid at a higher rate with a greater final yield than parental strain NCI1051. In addition, these mutants produced larger amounts of gluconic acid than the parental strain. These data demonstrate that the GinI/GinR quorum-sensing system in G. intermedius controls the expression of ginA, which in turn represses oxidative fermentation, including acetic acid and gluconic acid fermentation.

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Quorum sensing regulates dpsA and the oxidative stress response in Burkholderia pseudomallei

Microbiology ◽

10.1099/mic.0.29226-0 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 152 (12) ◽

pp. 3651-3659 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Putthapoom Lumjiaktase ◽

Stephen P. Diggle ◽

Suvit Loprasert ◽

Sumalee Tungpradabkul ◽

Mavis Daykin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Quorum Sensing ◽

Burkholderia Pseudomallei ◽

Dna Binding Protein ◽

Homoserine Lactone ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Acylhomoserine Lactone ◽

Organic Hydroperoxides ◽

Genes Encoding ◽

A Cell

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a fatal human tropical disease. The non-specific DNA-binding protein DpsA plays a key role in protecting B. pseudomallei from oxidative stress mediated, for example, by organic hydroperoxides. The regulation of dpsA expression is poorly understood but one possibility is that it is regulated in a cell population density-dependent manner via N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent quorum sensing (QS) since a lux-box motif has been located within the dpsA promoter region. Using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, it was first established that B. pseudomallei strain PP844 synthesizes AHLs. These were identified as N-octanoylhomoserine lactone (C8-HSL), N-(3-oxooctanoyl)homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C8-HSL), N-(3-hydroxyoctanoyl)-homoserine lactone (3-hydroxy-C8-HSL), N-decanoylhomoserine lactone (C10-HSL), N-(3-hydroxydecanoyl) homoserine lactone (3-hydroxy-C10-HSL) and N-(3-hydroxydodecanoyl)homoserine lactone (3-hydroxy-C12-HSL). Mutation of the genes encoding the LuxI homologue BpsI or the LuxR homologue BpsR resulted in the loss of C8-HSL and 3-oxo-C8-HSL synthesis, demonstrating that BpsI was responsible for directing the synthesis of these AHLs only and that bpsI expression and hence C8-HSL and 3-oxo-C8-HSL production depends on BpsR. In bpsI, bpsR and bpsIR mutants, dpsA expression was substantially down-regulated. Furthermore, dpsA expression in Escherichia coli required both BpsR and C8-HSL. bpsIR-deficient mutants exhibited hypersensitivity to the organic hydroperoxide tert-butyl hydroperoxide by displaying a reduction in cell viability which was restored by provision of exogenous C8-HSL (bpsI mutant only), by complementation with the bpsIR genes or by overexpression of dpsA. These data indicate that in B. pseudomallei, QS regulates the response to oxidative stress at least in part via the BpsR/C8-HSL-dependent regulation of DpsA.

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A Bacterial Tower of Babel: Quorum-Sensing Signaling Diversity and Its Evolution

Annual Review of Microbiology ◽

10.1146/annurev-micro-012220-063740 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 74 (1) ◽

pp. 587-606 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nitzan Aframian ◽

Avigdor Eldar

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Signal Molecules ◽

Allelic Polymorphism ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Tower Of Babel ◽

Cognate Receptor ◽

Wide Range ◽

Family Code ◽

Bacterial Groups

Quorum sensing is a process in which bacteria secrete and sense a diffusible molecule, thereby enabling bacterial groups to coordinate their behavior in a density-dependent manner. Quorum sensing has evolved multiple times independently, utilizing different molecular pathways and signaling molecules. A common theme among many quorum-sensing families is their wide range of signaling diversity—different variants within a family code for different signal molecules with a cognate receptor specific to each variant. This pattern of vast allelic polymorphism raises several questions—How do different signaling variants interact with one another? How is this diversity maintained? And how did it come to exist in the first place? Here we argue that social interactions between signaling variants can explain the emergence and persistence of signaling diversity throughout evolution. Finally, we extend the discussion to include cases where multiple diverse systems work in concert in a single bacterium.

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