scholarly journals Interspecies signaling generates exploratory motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique H. Limoli ◽  
Niles P. Donegan ◽  
Elizabeth A. Warren ◽  
Ambrose L. Cheung ◽  
George A. O’Toole
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Secreted Factors ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Modify Surface ◽  
Surface Motility ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractMicrobes often live in multispecies communities where interactions among community members impact both the individual constituents and the surrounding environment. Here, we developed a system to visualize interspecies behaviors at initial encounters. By imaging two prevalent pathogens known to be coisolated from chronic illnesses, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, we observed P. aeruginosa can modify surface motility in response to secreted factors from S. aureus. Upon sensing S. aureus, P. aeruginosa transitioned from collective to single-cell motility with an associated increase in speed and directedness – a behavior we refer to as ‘exploratory motility’. Through modulation of cAMP, explorer cells moved preferentially towards S. aureus and invaded S. aureus colonies through the action of the type IV pili. These studies reveal previously undescribed motility behaviors and lend insight into how P. aeruginosa senses and responds to other species. Identifying strategies to harness these interactions may open avenues for new antimicrobial strategies.

scholarly journals Interspecies interactions induce exploratory motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique H Limoli ◽  
Elizabeth A Warren ◽  
Kaitlin D Yarrington ◽  
Niles P Donegan ◽  
Ambrose L Cheung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Interspecies Interactions ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Secreted Factors ◽  
Modify Surface ◽  
Surface Motility ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Staphylococcus Aureus

Microbes often live in multispecies communities where interactions among community members impact both the individual constituents and the surrounding environment. Here, we developed a system to visualize interspecies behaviors at initial encounters. By imaging two prevalent pathogens known to be coisolated from chronic illnesses, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, we observed P. aeruginosa can modify surface motility in response to secreted factors from S. aureus. Upon sensing S. aureus, P. aeruginosa transitioned from collective to single-cell motility with an associated increase in speed and directedness – a behavior we refer to as ‘exploratory motility’. Explorer cells moved preferentially towards S. aureus and invaded S. aureus colonies through the action of the type IV pili. These studies reveal previously undescribed motility behaviors and lend insight into how P. aeruginosa senses and responds to other species. Identifying strategies to harness these interactions may open avenues for new antimicrobial strategies.

scholarly journals Help, hinder, hide and harm: what can we learn from the interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus during respiratory infections?

Thorax ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 684-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Hope Limoli ◽  
Lucas R Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Lung Health ◽  
Respiratory Microbiota

Recent studies of human respiratory secretions using culture-independent techniques have found a surprisingly diverse array of microbes. Interactions among these community members can profoundly impact microbial survival, persistence and antibiotic susceptibility and, consequently, disease progression. Studies of polymicrobial interactions in the human microbiota have shown that the taxonomic and structural compositions, and resulting behaviours, of microbial communities differ substantially from those of the individual constituent species and in ways of clinical importance. These studies primarily involved oral and gastrointestinal microbiomes. While the field of polymicrobial respiratory disease is relatively young, early findings suggest that respiratory tract microbiota members also compete and cooperate in ways that may influence disease outcomes. Ongoing efforts therefore focus on how these findings can inform more ‘enlightened’, rational approaches to combat respiratory infections. Among the most common respiratory diseases involving polymicrobial infections are cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis, COPD and ventilator-associated pneumonia. While respiratory microbiota can be diverse, two of the most common and best-studied members are Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which exhibit a range of competitive and cooperative interactions. Here, we review the state of research on pulmonary coinfection with these pathogens, including their prevalence, combined and independent associations with patient outcomes, and mechanisms of those interactions that could influence lung health. Because P. aeruginosa–S. aureus coinfection is common and well studied in CF, this disease serves as the paradigm for our discussions on these two organisms and inform our recommendations for future studies of polymicrobial interactions in pulmonary disease.

scholarly journals Swarming of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Is Dependent on Cell-to-Cell Signaling and Requires Flagella and Pili

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (21) ◽  
pp. 5990-5996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilo Köhler ◽  
Lasta Kocjancic Curty ◽  
Francisco Barja ◽  
Christian van Delden ◽  
Jean-Claude Pechère
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Cell Signaling ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Swarming Motility ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Surface Motility ◽  
Swarming Behavior

ABSTRACT We describe swarming in Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a third mode of surface translocation in addition to the previously described swimming and twitching motilities. Swarming in P. aeruginosa is induced on semisolid surfaces (0.5 to 0.7% agar) under conditions of nitrogen limitation and in response to certain amino acids. Glutamate, aspartate, histidine, or proline, when provided as the sole source of nitrogen, induced swarming, while arginine, asparagine, and glutamine, among other amino acids, did not sustain swarming. Cells from the edge of the swarm were about twice as long as cells from the swarm center. In both instances, bacteria possessing two polar flagella were observed by light and electron microscopy. While afliC mutant of P. aeruginosa displayed slightly diminished swarming, a pilR and a pilA mutant, both deficient in type IV pili, were unable to swarm. Furthermore, cells with mutations in the las cell-to-cell signaling system showed diminished swarming behavior, while rhlmutants were completely unable to swarm. Evidence is presented for rhamnolipids being the actual surfactant involved in swarming motility, which explains the involvement of the cell-to-cell signaling circuitry of P. aeruginosa in this type of surface motility.

scholarly journals A global genomic approach uncovers novel components for twitching motility-mediated biofilm expansion in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Nolan ◽  
Cynthia B. Whitchurch ◽  
Lars Barquist ◽  
Marilyn Katrib ◽  
Christine J. Boinett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Insertion Site ◽  
Random Mutagenesis ◽  
Twitching Motility ◽  
Cell Adherence ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Genomic Approach ◽  
Implanted Medical Devices ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa is an extremely successful pathogen able to cause both acute and chronic infections in a range of hosts, utilizing a diverse arsenal of cell-associated and secreted virulence factors. A major cell-associated virulence factor, the Type IV pilus (T4P), is required for epithelial cell adherence and mediates a form of surface translocation termed twitching motility, which is necessary to establish a mature biofilm and actively expand these biofilms. P. aeruginosa twitching motility-mediated biofilm expansion is a coordinated, multicellular behaviour, allowing cells to rapidly colonize surfaces, including implanted medical devices. Although at least 44 proteins are known to be involved in the biogenesis, assembly and regulation of the T4P, with additional regulatory components and pathways implicated, it is unclear how these components and pathways interact to control these processes. In the current study, we used a global genomics-based random-mutagenesis technique, transposon directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS), coupled with a physical segregation approach, to identify all genes implicated in twitching motility-mediated biofilm expansion in P. aeruginosa. Our approach allowed identification of both known and novel genes, providing new insight into the complex molecular network that regulates this process in P. aeruginosa. Additionally, our data suggests a differential effect on twitching motility by flagellum components based upon their cellular location. Overall the success of our TraDIS approach supports the use of this global genomic technique for investigating virulence genes in bacterial pathogens.

scholarly journals Mucin Promotes Rapid Surface Motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

mBio ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy T. Y. Yeung ◽  
Alicia Parayno ◽  
Robert E. W. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Sensing Systems ◽  
Bright Green ◽  
Surface Motility

ABSTRACTAn important environmental factor that determines the mode of motility adopted byPseudomonas aeruginosais the viscosity of the medium, often provided by adjusting agar concentrationsin vitro. However, the viscous gel-like property of the mucus layer that overlays epithelial surfaces is largely due to the glycoprotein mucin.P. aeruginosais known to swim within 0.3% (wt/vol) agar and swarm on the surface at 0.5% (wt/vol) agar with amino acids as a weak nitrogen source. When physiological concentrations or as little as 0.05% (wt/vol) mucin was added to the swimming agar, in addition to swimming,P. aeruginosawas observed to undergo highly accelerated motility on the surface of the agar. The surface motility colonies in the presence of mucin appeared to be circular, with a bright green center surrounded by a thicker white edge. While intact flagella were required for the surface motility in the presence of mucin, type IV pili and rhamnolipid production were not. Replacement of mucin with other wetting agents indicated that the lubricant properties of mucin might contribute to the surface motility. Based on studies with mutants, the quorum-sensing systems (lasandrhl) and the orphan autoinducer receptor QscR played important roles in this form of surface motility. Transcriptional analysis of cells taken from the motility zone revealed the upregulation of genes involved in virulence and resistance. Based on these results, we suggest that mucin may be promoting a new or highly modified form of surface motility, which we propose should be termed “surfing.”IMPORTANCEAn important factor that dictates the mode of motility adopted byP. aeruginosais the viscosity of the medium, often provided by adjusting agar concentrationsin vitro. However, the gel-like properties of the mucous layers that overlay epithelial surfaces, such as those of the lung, a major site ofPseudomonasinfection, are contributed mostly by the production of the glycoprotein mucin. In this study, we added mucin to swimming media and found that it promoted the ability ofP. aeruginosato exhibit rapid surface motility. These motility colonies appeared in a circular form, with a bright green center surrounded by a thicker white edge. Interestingly, bacterial cells at the thick edge appeared piled up and lacked flagella, while cells at the motility center had flagella. Our data from various genetic and phenotypic studies suggest that mucin may be promoting a modified form of swarming or a novel form of surface motility inP. aeruginosa.

scholarly journals Pseudomonas aeruginosa detachment from surfaces via a self-made small molecule

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Scheffler ◽  
Yuki Sugimoto ◽  
Benjamin P. Bratton ◽  
Courtney K. Ellison ◽  
Matthias D. Koch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Dispersal Agent ◽  
Biofilm Dispersal ◽  
Surface Motility ◽  
Viable Mechanism ◽  
Dispersal Activity

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa is a significant threat in both healthcare and industrial biofouling. Surface attachment of P. aeruginosa is particularly problematic as surface association induces virulence and biofilm formation, which hamper later antibiotic treatments. Previous efforts have searched for biofilm dispersal agents, but there are no known factors that specifically disperse surface-attached P. aeruginosa. In this study we develop a quantitative surface-dispersal assay and use it to show that P. aeruginosa itself produces factors that can stimulate its dispersal. Through bioactivity-guided fractionation, Mass Spectrometry, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, we elucidated the structure of one such factor, 2-methyl-4-hydroxyquinoline (MHQ). MHQ is an alkyl-quinolone with a previously unknown activity and is synthesized by the PqsABC enzymes. Pure MHQ is sufficient to disperse P. aeruginosa, but the dispersal activity of natural P. aeruginosa conditioned media requires additional factors. Whereas other alkyl quinolones have been shown to act as antibiotics or membrane depolarizers, MHQ lacks these activities and known antibiotics do not induce dispersal. In contrast, we show that MHQ inhibits the activity of Type IV Pili (TFP) and that TFP targeting can explain its dispersal activity. Our work thus identifies surface dispersal as a new activity of P. aeruginosa-produced small molecules, characterizes MHQ as a promising dispersal agent, and establishes TFP inhibition as a viable mechanism for P. aeruginosa dispersal.Significance StatementWe discovered that the clinically relevant human bacterial pathogen P. aeruginosa, typically associated with surface-based infections, is dispersed by a small molecule that the bacteria themselves produce. We elucidate the chemical structure of this molecule and find that mechanistically it functions to inhibit the activity of the P. aeruginosa extra cellular surface motility appendage, the type IV pilus.

scholarly journals The cyanobacterial taxis protein HmpF regulates type IV pilus activity in response to light

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (12) ◽  
pp. e2023988118
Author(s):  
Thomas V. Harwood ◽  
Esthefani G. Zuniga ◽  
HoJun Kweon ◽  
Douglas D. Risser
Keyword(s):  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽  
Unicellular Cyanobacterium ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Carbonyl Cyanide ◽  
Chemotaxis Proteins ◽  
Surface Motility ◽  
Favorable Light ◽  
Insight Into

Motility is ubiquitous in prokaryotic organisms including the photosynthetic cyanobacteria where surface motility powered by type 4 pili (T4P) is common and facilitates phototaxis to seek out favorable light environments. In cyanobacteria, chemotaxis-like systems are known to regulate motility and phototaxis. The characterized phototaxis systems rely on methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins containing bilin-binding GAF domains capable of directly sensing light, and the mechanism by which they regulate the T4P is largely undefined. In this study we demonstrate that cyanobacteria possess a second, GAF-independent, means of sensing light to regulate motility and provide insight into how a chemotaxis-like system regulates the T4P motors. A combination of genetic, cytological, and protein–protein interaction analyses, along with experiments using the proton ionophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazine, indicate that the Hmp chemotaxis-like system of the model filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme is capable of sensing light indirectly, possibly via alterations in proton motive force, and modulates direct interaction between the cyanobacterial taxis protein HmpF, and Hfq, PilT1, and PilT2 to regulate the T4P motors. Given that the Hmp system is widely conserved in cyanobacteria, and the finding from this study that orthologs of HmpF and T4P proteins from the distantly related model unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 interact in a similar manner to their N. punctiforme counterparts, it is likely that this represents a ubiquitous means of regulating motility in response to light in cyanobacteria.

scholarly journals Nanoscale Characterization and Determination of Adhesion Forces of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pili by Using Atomic Force Microscopy

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (2) ◽  
pp. 370-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Touhami ◽  
Manfred H. Jericho ◽  
Jessica M. Boyd ◽  
Terry J. Beveridge
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Adhesion Forces ◽  
Chain Polymer ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Force Curves ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACT Type IV pili play an important role in bacterial adhesion, motility, and biofilm formation. Here we present high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of type IV pili from Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. An individual pilus ranges in length from 0.5 to 7 μm and has a diameter from 4 to 6 nm, although often, pili bundles in which the individual filaments differed in both length and diameter were seen. By attaching bacteria to AFM tips, it was possible to fasten the bacteria to mica surfaces by pili tethers. Force spectra of tethered pili gave rupture forces of 95 pN. The slopes of force curves close to the rupture force were nearly linear but showed little variation with pilus length. Furthermore, force curves could not be fitted with wormlike-chain polymer stretch models when using realistic persistence lengths for pili. The observation that the slopes near rupture did not depend on the pili length suggests that they do not represent elastic properties of the pili. It is possible that this region of the force curves is determined by an elastic element that is part of the bacterial wall, although further experiments are needed to confirm this.

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