scholarly journals Ethanol stimulates trehalose production through a SpoT-DksA-AlgU dependent pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen E. Harty ◽  
Dorival Martins ◽  
Georgia Doing ◽  
Dallas L. Mould ◽  
Michelle E. Clay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Transcriptional Response ◽  
Exponential Phase ◽  
Fermentation Products ◽  
Acylhomoserine Lactone ◽  
Antisigma Factor

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa frequently resides among ethanol-producing microbes, making its response to these microbially-produced concentrations of ethanol relevant to understanding its biology. Our ranscriptome analysis found that the genes involved in trehalose metabolism were induced by low concentrations of ethanol, and levels of intracellular trehalose increased significantly upon growth with ethanol. The increase in trehalose was dependent on the TreYZ pathway, but not other trehalose metabolic enzymes TreS or TreA. The sigma factor AlgU (AlgT), a homolog of RpoE in other species, was required for increased expression of the treZ gene and trehalose levels, but induction was not controlled by the well-characterized proteolysis of its antisigma factor MucA. Growth with ethanol led to increased SpoT-dependent (p)ppGpp accumulation, which stimulates AlgU-dependent transcription of treZ and other AlgU-regulated genes through DksA, a (p)ppGpp and RNA polymerase binding protein. Ethanol stimulation of trehalose also required acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated quorum sensing, as induction was not observed in a ΔlasRΔrhlR strain. A network analysis using a model, eADAGE, built from publicly available P. aeruginosa transcriptome datasets (1) provided strong support for our model that treZ and co-regulated genes are controlled by both AlgU and AHL-mediated QS (QS). Consistent with (p)ppGpp and AHL-mediated quorum sensing regulation, ethanol, even when added at the time of culture inoculation, stimulated treZ transcript levels and trehalose production in cells from post-exponential phase cultures but not from exponential phase cultures. These data highlight the integration of growth and cell density cues in the P. aeruginosa transcriptional response to ethanol.ImportancePseudomonas aeruginosa is often found with bacteria and fungi that produce fermentation products including ethanol. At concentrations similar to those produced by environmental microbes, we found that ethanol stimulated expression of trehalose biosynthetic genes and cellular levels of trehalose, a disaccharide that protects against environmental stresses. The induction of trehalose by ethanol required the alternative sigma factor AlgU through DksA and SpoT-dependent (p)ppGpp. Trehalose accumulation also required AHL quorum sensing and only occurred in post-exponential phase cultures. This work highlights how cells integrate cell-density and growth cues in their responses to products made by other microbes and a reveals a new role for (p)ppGpp in the regulation of AlgU activity.

scholarly journals Ethanol Stimulates Trehalose Production through a SpoT-DksA-AlgU-Dependent Pathway inPseudomonas aeruginosa

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen E. Harty ◽  
Dorival Martins ◽  
Georgia Doing ◽  
Dallas L. Mould ◽  
Michelle E. Clay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Transcriptional Response ◽  
Exponential Phase ◽  
Fermentation Products ◽  
Content Type ◽  
In Cells

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosafrequently resides among ethanol-producing microbes, making its response to the microbially produced concentrations of ethanol relevant to understanding its biology. Our transcriptome analysis found that genes involved in trehalose metabolism were induced by low concentrations of ethanol, and biochemical assays showed that levels of intracellular trehalose increased significantly upon growth with ethanol. The increase in trehalose was dependent on the TreYZ pathway but not other trehalose-metabolic enzymes (TreS or TreA). The sigma factor AlgU (AlgT), a homolog of RpoE in other species, was required for increased expression of thetreZgene and trehalose levels, but induction was not controlled by the well-characterized proteolysis of its anti-sigma factor, MucA. Growth with ethanol led to increased SpoT-dependent (p)ppGpp accumulation, which stimulates AlgU-dependent transcription oftreZand other AlgU-regulated genes through DksA, a (p)ppGpp and RNA polymerase binding protein. Ethanol stimulation of trehalose also required acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated quorum sensing (QS), as induction was not observed in a ΔlasRΔrhlRstrain. A network analysis using a model, eADAGE, built from publicly availableP. aeruginosatranscriptome data sets (J. Tan, G. Doing, K. A. Lewis, C. E. Price, et al., Cell Syst 5:63–71, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cels.2017.06.003) provided strong support for our model in whichtreZand coregulated genes are controlled by both AlgU- and AHL-mediated QS. Consistent with (p)ppGpp- and AHL-mediated quorum-sensing regulation, ethanol, even when added at the time of culture inoculation, stimulatedtreZtranscript levels and trehalose production in cells from post-exponential-phase cultures but not in cells from exponential-phase cultures. These data highlight the integration of growth and cell density cues in theP. aeruginosatranscriptional response to ethanol.IMPORTANCEPseudomonas aeruginosais often found with bacteria and fungi that produce fermentation products, including ethanol. At concentrations similar to those produced by environmental microbes, we found that ethanol stimulated expression of trehalose-biosynthetic genes and cellular levels of trehalose, a disaccharide that protects against environmental stresses. The induction of trehalose by ethanol required the alternative sigma factor AlgU through DksA- and SpoT-dependent (p)ppGpp. Trehalose accumulation also required AHL quorum sensing and occurred only in post-exponential-phase cultures. This work highlights how cells integrate cell density and growth cues in their responses to products made by other microbes and reveals a new role for (p)ppGpp in the regulation of AlgU activity.

scholarly journals Interference with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum Sensing and Virulence by the Mycobacterial Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal Dioxygenase AqdC in Combination with the N-Acylhomoserine Lactone Lactonase QsdA

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska S. Birmes ◽  
Ruth Säring ◽  
Miriam C. Hauke ◽  
Niklas H. Ritzmann ◽  
Steffen L. Drees ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Rhodococcus Erythropolis ◽  
Quorum Quenching ◽  
Signal Molecules ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acylhomoserine Lactone ◽  
Regulatory Effects ◽  
Epithelial Lung Cells

ABSTRACT The nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulates its virulence via a complex quorum sensing network, which, besides N-acylhomoserine lactones, includes the alkylquinolone signal molecules 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone (Pseudomonas quinolone signal [PQS]) and 2-heptyl-4(1H)-quinolone (HHQ). Mycobacteroides abscessus subsp. abscessus, an emerging pathogen, is capable of degrading the PQS and also HHQ. Here, we show that although M. abscessus subsp. abscessus reduced PQS levels in coculture with P. aeruginosa PAO1, this did not suffice for quenching the production of the virulence factors pyocyanin, pyoverdine, and rhamnolipids. However, the levels of these virulence factors were reduced in cocultures of P. aeruginosa PAO1 with recombinant M. abscessus subsp. massiliense overexpressing the PQS dioxygenase gene aqdC of M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, corroborating the potential of AqdC as a quorum quenching enzyme. When added extracellularly to P. aeruginosa cultures, AqdC quenched alkylquinolone and pyocyanin production but induced an increase in elastase levels. When supplementing P. aeruginosa cultures with QsdA, an enzyme from Rhodococcus erythropolis which inactivates N-acylhomoserine lactone signals, rhamnolipid and elastase levels were quenched, but HHQ and pyocyanin synthesis was promoted. Thus, single quorum quenching enzymes, targeting individual circuits within a complex quorum sensing network, may also elicit undesirable regulatory effects. Supernatants of P. aeruginosa cultures grown in the presence of AqdC, QsdA, or both enzymes were less cytotoxic to human epithelial lung cells than supernatants of untreated cultures. Furthermore, the combination of both aqdC and qsdA in P. aeruginosa resulted in a decline of Caenorhabditis elegans mortality under P. aeruginosa exposure.

scholarly journals Modulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum Sensing by Glutathione

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Zhou ◽  
Meizhen Wang ◽  
Nicole E. Smalley ◽  
Maxim Kostylev ◽  
Amy L. Schaefer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Redox State ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Cellular Redox ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cellular Redox State

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses quorum sensing (QS) to regulate the production of a battery of secreted products. At least some of these products are shared among the population and serve as public goods. When P. aeruginosa is grown on casein as the sole carbon and energy source, the QS-induced extracellular protease elastase is required for growth. We isolated a P. aeruginosa variant, which showed increased production of QS-induced factors after repeated transfers in casein broth. This variant, P. aeruginosa QS*, had a mutation in the glutathione synthesis gene gshA. We describe several experiments that show a gshA coding variant and glutathione affect the QS response. The P. aeruginosa QS transcription factor LasR has a redox-sensitive cysteine (C79). We report that GshA variant cells with a LasR C79S substitution show a similar QS response to that of wild-type P. aeruginosa. Surprisingly, it is not LasR but the QS transcription factor RhlR that is more active in bacteria containing the variant gshA. Our results demonstrate that QS integrates information about cell density and the cellular redox state via glutathione levels. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacteria coordinate group behaviors using a chemical communication system called quorum sensing (QS). The QS system of P. aeruginosa is complex, with several regulators and signals. We show that decreased levels of glutathione lead to increased gene activation in P. aeruginosa, which did not occur in a strain carrying the redox-insensitive variant of a transcription factor. The ability of P. aeruginosa QS transcription factors to integrate information about cell density and cellular redox state shows these transcription factors can fine-tune levels of the gene products they control in response to at least two types of signals or cues.

scholarly journals Regulation of Quorum Sensing by RpoS inPseudomonas aeruginosa

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (15) ◽  
pp. 4356-4360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marvin Whiteley ◽  
Matthew R. Parsek ◽  
E. P. Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Gene Transcription ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Null Mutant ◽  
Global Regulators ◽  
Acylhomoserine Lactone ◽  
Sensing Systems

ABSTRACT The LasR-LasI and RhlR-RhlI quorum-sensing systems are global regulators of gene expression in the opportunistic pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosa. Previous studies suggest that the RhlR-RhlI system activates expression of rpoS. We constructed merodiploid strains of P. aeruginosa containing the native rpoS gene and an rpoS-lacZ fusion. Studies of lacZ transcription in these strains indicated that rpoS was not regulated by RhlR-RhlI. We also generated an rpoS null mutant. This rpoS mutant showed elevated levels of rhlI (but not rhlR) transcription, elevated levels of the RhlI-generated acylhomoserine lactone quorum-sensing signal, and elevated levels of RhlR-RhlI-regulated gene transcription. These findings indicate that there is a relationship between RpoS and quorum sensing, but rather than the RhlR-RhlI system influencing the expression ofrpoS, it appears that RpoS regulates rhlI.

scholarly journals The Pseudomonas aeruginosa rmlBDAC operon, encoding dTDP-l-rhamnose biosynthetic enzymes, is regulated by the quorum-sensing transcriptional regulator RhlR and the alternative sigma factor σS

Microbiology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 158 (4) ◽  
pp. 908-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisela Aguirre-Ramírez ◽  
Gerardo Medina ◽  
Abigail González-Valdez ◽  
Victoria Grosso-Becerra ◽  
Gloria Soberón-Chávez
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Alternative Sigma Factor ◽  
Biosynthetic Enzymes

scholarly journals Quorum-Sensing-Negative (lasR) Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Avoid Cell Lysis and Death

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (14) ◽  
pp. 4875-4883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Heurlier ◽  
Valérie Dénervaud ◽  
Marisa Haenni ◽  
Lionel Guy ◽  
Viji Krishnapillai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Cell Lysis ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Alkaline Stress ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Acylhomoserine Lactone ◽  
Nucleoside Hydrolase

ABSTRACT In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, N-acylhomoserine lactone signals regulate the expression of several hundreds of genes, via the transcriptional regulator LasR and, in part, also via the subordinate regulator RhlR. This regulatory network termed quorum sensing contributes to the virulence of P. aeruginosa as a pathogen. The fact that two supposed PAO1 wild-type strains from strain collections were found to be defective for LasR function because of independent point mutations in the lasR gene led to the hypothesis that loss of quorum sensing might confer a selective advantage on P. aeruginosa under certain environmental conditions. A convenient plate assay for LasR function was devised, based on the observation that lasR mutants did not grow on adenosine as the sole carbon source because a key degradative enzyme, nucleoside hydrolase (Nuh), is positively controlled by LasR. The wild-type PAO1 and lasR mutants showed similar growth rates when incubated in nutrient yeast broth at pH 6.8 and 37°C with good aeration. However, after termination of growth during 30 to 54 h of incubation, when the pH rose to ≥ 9, the lasR mutants were significantly more resistant to cell lysis and death than was the wild type. As a consequence, the lasR mutant-to-wild-type ratio increased about 10-fold in mixed cultures incubated for 54 h. In a PAO1 culture, five consecutive cycles of 48 h of incubation sufficed to enrich for about 10% of spontaneous mutants with a Nuh− phenotype, and five of these mutants, which were functionally complemented by lasR + , had mutations in lasR. The observation that, in buffered nutrient yeast broth, the wild type and lasR mutants exhibited similar low tendencies to undergo cell lysis and death suggests that alkaline stress may be a critical factor providing a selective survival advantage to lasR mutants.

scholarly journals The Pseudomonas aeruginosa N-Acylhomoserine Lactone Quorum Sensing Molecules Target IQGAP1 and Modulate Epithelial Cell Migration

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e1002953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thommie Karlsson ◽  
Maria V. Turkina ◽  
Olena Yakymenko ◽  
Karl-Eric Magnusson ◽  
Elena Vikström
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Epithelial Cell ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Acylhomoserine Lactone ◽  
Epithelial Cell Migration

scholarly journals Production of Quorum Sensing Inhibitors in Growing Onion Bulbs Infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa E (HQ324110)

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed H. Abd-Alla ◽  
Shymaa R. Bashandy
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Bacterial Growth ◽  
Myristic Acid ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Onion Bulbs ◽  
Quorum Sensing Inhibitors

Eighteen organic compounds were present in growing onion bulbs cultivar Giza 6 infected with P. aeruginosa, but only fourteen of them are present in dry infected onion bulbs; however, four compounds were missing in dry onion. The missing compounds in dry infected onion bulbs are pantolactone, 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dimethylfuran-2(3H)-one, myristic acid, and linoleic acid. All of them were detected in growing onion (living cell) during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, and it is hypothesized that it may be produced by plants and act as defence system. Pantolactone and myristic acid were selected to explore their effects on growth and virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Exogenous application of pantolactone and myristic acid significantly inhibited pyocyanin production, protease, and lipase and polygalacturonase activity but did not have any significant effects on bacterial growth. The inhibition of virulence factors without reduction in bacterial growth may be providing strong support that these chemical molecules are general quorum sensing inhibitors than an antibacterial effect. Disruption of quorum sensing of pathogen indicates that this new approach has potential in fighting bacterial infections in human and plants.

scholarly journals Advancing the Quorum in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: MvaT and the Regulation of N-Acylhomoserine Lactone Production and Virulence Gene Expression

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (10) ◽  
pp. 2576-2586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Diggle ◽  
Klaus Winzer ◽  
Andrée Lazdunski ◽  
Paul Williams ◽  
Miguel Cámara
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Growth Phase ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Homoserine Lactone ◽  
Logarithmic Phase ◽  
Signal Molecules ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Acylhomoserine Lactone

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulates the production of many exoproteins and secondary metabolites via a hierarchical quorum-sensing cascade through LasR and RhlR and their cognate signal molecules N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3O-C12-HSL) and N-(butanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL). In this study, we found that transcription of the quorum sensing-regulated genes lecA (coding for PA-IL lectin), lasB (coding for elastase), and rpoS appeared to be growth phase dependent and their expression could not be advanced to the logarithmic phase in cells growing in batch culture by the addition of exogenous C4-HSL and 3O-C12-HSL. To identify novel regulators responsible for this growth phase dependency, a P. aeruginosa lecA::lux reporter strain was subjected to random transposon mutagenesis. A number of mutants affected in lecA expression were found that exhibited altered production of multiple quorum sensing-dependent phenotypes. While some mutations were mapped to new loci such as clpA and mvaT and a putative efflux system, a number of mutations were also mapped to known regulators such as lasR, rhlR, and rpoS. MvaT was identified as a novel global regulator of virulence gene expression, as a mutation in mvaT resulted in enhanced lecA expression and pyocyanin production. This mutant also showed altered swarming ability and production of the LasB and LasA proteases, 3O-C12-HSL, and C4-HSL. Furthermore, addition of exogenous 3O-C12-HSL and C4-HSL to the mvaT mutant significantly advanced lecA expression, suggesting that MvaT is involved in the growth phase-dependent regulation of the lecA gene.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document