scholarly journals Virulence factors regulation by the quorum-sensing and Rsm systems in the marine strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa ID4365, a natural mutant in lasR

2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Cocotl-Yañez ◽  
Martín Paolo Soto-Aceves ◽  
Abigail González-Valdez ◽  
Luis Servín-González ◽  
Gloria Soberón-Chávez
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Reference Strain ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Human Pathogen ◽  
Strain Pao1 ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen ◽  
Marine Strain

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that is able to produce several virulence factors such as pyocyanin, rhamnolipids and elastase. In the clinical reference strain PAO1, synthesis of these virulence factors is regulated transcriptionally by quorum sensing (QS) and post-transcriptionally by the Rsm system. Herein, we investigated the role of these systems in the control of the pyocyanin, rhamnolipids and elastase production in the marine strain ID4365. We found that this strain carries a nonsense mutation in lasR that makes it a natural mutant in the Las QS system. However, its QS response is still functional with the Rhl system activating virulence factors synthesis. We found that the Rsm system affects virulence factors production, since overexpression of RsmA reduces pyocyanin production whereas RsmY overexpression increases its synthesis. Unexpectedly, and in contrast to the type strain PAO1, inactivation of rsmA increases pyocyanin but reduces elastase and rhamnolipids production by a reduction of RhlR levels. Thus, QS and Rsm systems are involved in regulating virulence factors production, but this regulation is different to the PAO1 strain even though their genomes are highly conserved. It is likely that these differences are related to the different ecological niches in which these strains lived.

scholarly journals Quorum Sensing Is Accompanied by Global Metabolic Changes in the Opportunistic Human Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (12) ◽  
pp. 2072-2082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Davenport ◽  
Julian L. Griffin ◽  
Martin Welch
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Acid Methyl Ester ◽  
Metabolic Changes ◽  
Human Pathogen ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ecological Fitness ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosausesN-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent quorum sensing (QS) systems to control the expression of secreted effectors. These effectors can be crucial to the ecological fitness of the bacterium, playing roles in nutrient acquisition, microbial competition, and virulence. In this study, we investigated the metabolic consequences of AHL-dependent QS by monitoring the metabolic profile(s) of alasI rhlIdouble mutant (unable to make QS signaling molecules) and its wild-type progenitor as they progressed through the growth curve. Analysis of culture supernatants by1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy revealed that at the point where AHL concentrations peaked in the wild type, the metabolic footprints (i.e., extracellular metabolites) of the wild-type andlasI rhlImutant diverged. Subsequent gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based analysis of the intracellular metabolome revealed QS-dependent perturbations in around one-third of all identified metabolites, including altered concentrations of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, amino acids, and fatty acids. Further targeted fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) GC-MS-based profiling of the cellular total fatty acid pools revealed that QS leads to changes associated with decreased membrane fluidity and higher chemical stability. However, not all of the changes we observed were necessarily a direct consequence of QS; liquid chromatography (LC)-MS analyses revealed that polyamine levels were elevated in thelasI rhlImutant, perhaps a response to the absence of QS-dependent adaptations. Our data suggest that QS leads to a global readjustment in central metabolism and provide new insight into the metabolic changes associated with QS during stationary-phase adaptation.IMPORTANCEQuorum sensing (QS) is a transcriptional regulatory mechanism that allows bacteria to coordinate their gene expression profile with the population cell density. The opportunistic human pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosauses QS to control the production of secreted virulence factors. In this study, we show that QS elicits a global “metabolic rewiring” inP. aeruginosa. This metabolic rerouting of fluxes is consistent with a variety of drivers, ranging from altered QS-dependent transcription of “metabolic genes” through to the effect(s) of global “metabolic readjustment” as a consequence of QS-dependent exoproduct synthesis, as well as a general stress response, among others. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to assess the global impact of QS on the metabolome.

scholarly journals Review of Potential Pseudomonas Weaponry, Relevant to the Pseudomonas–Aspergillus Interplay, for the Mycology Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulami Chatterjee ◽  
Gabriele Sass ◽  
Wieslaw Swietnicki ◽  
David A. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Immunocompromised Patients ◽  
Opportunistic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Secretion ◽  
Factor Secretion ◽  
Cell Cell

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most prominent opportunistic bacteria in airways of cystic fibrosis patients and in immunocompromised patients. These bacteria share the same polymicrobial niche with other microbes, such as the opportunistic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Their inter-kingdom interactions and diverse exchange of secreted metabolites are responsible for how they both fare in competition for ecological niches. The outcomes of their contests likely determine persistent damage and degeneration of lung function. With a myriad of virulence factors and metabolites of promising antifungal activity, P. aeruginosa products or their derivatives may prove useful in prophylaxis and therapy against A. fumigatus. Quorum sensing underlies the primary virulence strategy of P. aeruginosa, which serves as cell–cell communication and ultimately leads to the production of multiple virulence factors. Understanding the quorum-sensing-related pathogenic mechanisms of P. aeruginosa is a first step for understanding intermicrobial competition. In this review, we provide a basic overview of some of the central virulence factors of P. aeruginosa that are regulated by quorum-sensing response pathways and briefly discuss the hitherto known antifungal properties of these virulence factors. This review also addresses the role of the bacterial secretion machinery regarding virulence factor secretion and maintenance of cell–cell communication.

scholarly journals The flavanone naringenin reduces the production of quorum sensing-controlled virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (7) ◽  
pp. 2120-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier M. Vandeputte ◽  
Martin Kiendrebeogo ◽  
Tsiry Rasamiravaka ◽  
Caroline Stévigny ◽  
Pierre Duez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Homoserine Lactone ◽  
Gene Products ◽  
Strain Pao1 ◽  
Preliminary Screening ◽  
Mutant Strains

Preliminary screening of the Malagasy plant Combretum albiflorum for compounds attenuating the production of quorum sensing (QS)-controlled virulence factors in bacteria led to the identification of active fractions containing flavonoids. In the present study, several flavonoids belonging to the flavone, flavanone, flavonol and chalcone structural groups were screened for their capacity to reduce the production of QS-controlled factors in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain PAO1). Flavanones (i.e. naringenin, eriodictyol and taxifolin) significantly reduced the production of pyocyanin and elastase in P. aeruginosa without affecting bacterial growth. Consistently, naringenin and taxifolin reduced the expression of several QS-controlled genes (i.e. lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR, lasA, lasB, phzA1 and rhlA) in P. aeruginosa PAO1. Naringenin also dramatically reduced the production of the acylhomoserine lactones N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) and N-butanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL), which is driven by the lasI and rhlI gene products, respectively. In addition, using mutant strains deficient for autoinduction (ΔlasI and ΔrhlI) and LasR- and RhlR-based biosensors, it was shown that QS inhibition by naringenin not only is the consequence of a reduced production of autoinduction compounds but also results from a defect in the proper functioning of the RlhR–C4-HSL complex. Widely distributed in the plant kingdom, flavonoids are known for their numerous and determinant roles in plant physiology, plant development and in the success of plant–rhizobia interactions, but, as shown here, some of them also have a role as inhibitors of the virulence of pathogenic bacteria by interfering with QS mechanisms.

scholarly journals Role of quorum sensing in UVA-induced biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Microbiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 166 (8) ◽  
pp. 735-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Pezzoni ◽  
Ramón A. Pizarro ◽  
Cristina S. Costa
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen ◽  
Biofilm Development

Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a versatile bacterium present in terrestrial and aquatic environments and a relevant opportunistic human pathogen, is largely known for the production of robust biofilms. The unique properties of these structures complicate biofilm eradication, because they make the biofilms very resistant to diverse antibacterial agents. Biofilm development and establishment is a complex process regulated by multiple regulatory genetic systems, among them is quorum sensing (QS), a mechanism employed by bacteria to regulate gene transcription in response to population density. In addition, environmental factors such as UVA radiation (400–315 nm) have been linked to biofilm formation. In this work, we further investigate the mechanism underlying the induction of biofilm formation by UVA, analysing the role of QS in this phenomenon. We demonstrate that UVA induces key genes of the Las and Rhl QS systems at the transcriptional level. We also report that pelA and pslA genes, which are essential for biofilm formation and whose transcription depends in part on QS, are significantly induced under UVA exposure. Finally, the results demonstrate that in a relA strain (impaired for ppGpp production), the UVA treatment does not induce biofilm formation or QS genes, suggesting that the increase of biofilm formation due to exposure to UVA in P. aeruginosa could rely on a ppGpp-dependent QS induction.

scholarly journals Synthesis of Tetravalent Thio- and Selenogalactoside-Presenting Galactoclusters and Their Interactions with Bacterial Lectin PA-IL from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 542
Author(s):  
Tünde Zita Illyés ◽  
Lenka Malinovská ◽  
Erzsébet Rőth ◽  
Boglárka Tóth ◽  
Bence Farkas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Inhibition Assay ◽  
Human Pathogen ◽  
Saturation Transfer ◽  
Hemagglutination Inhibition Assay ◽  
Saturation Transfer Difference ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen ◽  
Better Than

Synthesis of tetravalent thio- and selenogalactopyranoside-containing glycoclusters using azide-alkyne click strategy is presented. Prepared compounds are potential ligands of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectin PA-IL. P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen associated with cystic fibrosis, and PA-IL is one of its virulence factors. The interactions of PA-IL and tetravalent glycoconjugates were investigated using hemagglutination inhibition assay and compared with mono- and divalent galactosides (propargyl 1-thio- and 1-seleno-β-d-galactopyranoside, digalactosyl diselenide and digalactosyl disulfide). The lectin-carbohydrate interactions were also studied by saturation transfer difference NMR technique. Both thio- and seleno-tetravalent glycoconjugates were able to inhibit PA-IL significantly better than simple d-galactose or their intermediate compounds from the synthesis.

scholarly journals Quorum sensing and policing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa social cheaters

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (7) ◽  
pp. 2187-2191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meizhen Wang ◽  
Amy L. Schaefer ◽  
Ajai A. Dandekar ◽  
E. Peter Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Human Pathogen ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Sensing Systems ◽  
Signal Cascade ◽  
Quorum Sensing System ◽  
Secreted Proteases ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen

The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that uses a quorum sensing signal cascade to activate expression of dozens of genes when sufficient population densities have been reached. Quorum sensing controls production of several key virulence factors, including secreted proteases such as elastase. Cooperating groups of bacteria growing on protein are susceptible to social cheating by quorum-sensing defective mutants. A possible way to restrict cheater emergence is by policing where cooperators produce costly goods to sanction or punish cheats. The P. aeruginosa LasR-LasI quorum sensing system controls genes including those encoding proteases and also those encoding a second quorum-sensing system, the RhlR-RhlI system, which controls numerous genes including those for cyanide production. By using RhlR quorum sensing mutants and cyanide synthesis mutants, we show that cyanide production is costly and cyanide-producing cooperators use cyanide to punish LasR-null social cheaters. Cooperators are less susceptible to cyanide than are LasR mutants. These experiments demonstrate policing in P. aeruginosa, provide a mechanistic understanding of policing, and show policing involves the cascade organization of the two quorum sensing systems in this bacterium.

scholarly journals Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations of Ciprofloxacin Alone and Combinations with Plant-Derived Compounds against P. aeruginosa Biofilms and Their Effects on the Metabolomic Profile of P. aeruginosa Biofilms

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 414
Author(s):  
Didem Kart ◽  
Tuba Reçber ◽  
Emirhan Nemutlu ◽  
Meral Sagiroglu
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Inhibitory Concentration ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Metabolomic Profile ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
New Agents ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Metabolomic Approach

Introduction: Alternative anti-biofilm agents are needed to combat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The mechanisms behind these new agents also need to be revealed at a molecular level. Materials and methods: The anti-biofilm effects of 10 plant-derived compounds on P. aeruginosa biofilms were investigated using minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) and virulence assays. The effects of ciprofloxacin and compound combinations on P. aeruginosa in mono and triple biofilms were compared. A metabolomic approach and qRT-PCR were applied to the biofilms treated with ciprofloxacin in combination with baicalein, esculin hydrate, curcumin, and cinnamaldehyde at sub-minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) concentrations to highlight the specific metabolic shifts between the biofilms and to determine the quorum sensing gene expressions, respectively. Results: The combinations of ciprofloxacin with curcumin, baicalein, esculetin, and cinnamaldehyde showed more reduced MBICs than ciprofloxacin alone. The quorum sensing genes were downregulated in the presence of curcumin and cinnamaldehyde, while upregulated in the presence of baicalein and esculin hydrate rather than for ciprofloxacin alone. The combinations exhibited different killing effects on P. aeruginosa in mono and triple biofilms without affecting its virulence. The findings of the decreased metabolite levels related to pyrimidine and lipopolysaccharide synthesis and to down-regulated alginate and lasI expressions strongly indicate the role of multifactorial mechanisms for curcumin-mediated P. aeruginosa growth inhibition. Conclusions: The use of curcumin, baicalein, esculetin, and cinnamaldehyde with ciprofloxacin will help fight against P. aeruginosa biofilms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to define the effect of plant-based compounds as possible anti-biofilm agents with low MBICs for the treatment of P. aeruginosa biofilms through metabolomic pathways.

scholarly journals Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA80 is a cystic fibrosis isolate deficient in RhlRI quorum sensing

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed A. K. Shifat Ahmed ◽  
Michelle Rudden ◽  
Sabrina M. Elias ◽  
Thomas J. Smyth ◽  
Roger Marchant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Genomic Islands ◽  
Clinical Strain ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Synonymous Mutations ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa uses quorum sensing (QS) to modulate the expression of several virulence factors that enable it to establish severe infections. The QS system in P. aeruginosa is complex, intricate and is dominated by two main N-acyl-homoserine lactone circuits, LasRI and RhlRI. These two QS systems work in a hierarchical fashion with LasRI at the top, directly regulating RhlRI. Together these QS circuits regulate several virulence associated genes, metabolites, and enzymes in P. aeruginosa. Paradoxically, LasR mutants are frequently isolated from chronic P. aeruginosa infections, typically among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. This suggests P. aeruginosa can undergo significant evolutionary pathoadaptation to persist in long term chronic infections. In contrast, mutations in the RhlRI system are less common. Here, we have isolated a clinical strain of P. aeruginosa from a CF patient that has deleted the transcriptional regulator RhlR entirely. Whole genome sequencing shows the rhlR locus is deleted in PA80 alongside a few non-synonymous mutations in virulence factors including protease lasA and rhamnolipid rhlA, rhlB, rhlC. Importantly we did not observe any mutations in the LasRI QS system. PA80 does not appear to have an accumulation of mutations typically associated with several hallmark pathoadaptive genes (i.e., mexT, mucA, algR, rpoN, exsS, ampR). Whole genome comparisons show that P. aeruginosa strain PA80 is closely related to the hypervirulent Liverpool epidemic strain (LES) LESB58. PA80 also contains several genomic islands (GI’s) encoding virulence and/or resistance determinants homologous to LESB58. To further understand the effect of these mutations in PA80 QS regulatory and virulence associated genes, we compared transcriptional expression of genes and phenotypic effects with isogenic mutants in the genetic reference strain PAO1. In PAO1, we show that deletion of rhlR has a much more significant impact on the expression of a wide range of virulence associated factors rather than deletion of lasR. In PA80, no QS regulatory genes were expressed, which we attribute to the inactivation of the RhlRI QS system by deletion of rhlR and mutation of rhlI. This study demonstrates that inactivation of the LasRI system does not impact RhlRI regulated virulence factors. PA80 has bypassed the common pathoadaptive mutations observed in LasR by targeting the RhlRI system. This suggests that RhlRI is a significant target for the long-term persistence of P. aeruginosa in chronic CF patients. This raises important questions in targeting QS systems for therapeutic interventions.

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