scholarly journals An Orphan LuxR Homolog of Sinorhizobium meliloti Affects Stress Adaptation and Competition for Nodulation

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 946-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arati V. Patankar ◽  
Juan E. Gonz�lez
Keyword(s):  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Symbiotic Association ◽  
Response Regulators ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Luxr Homolog ◽  
Active Methyl ◽  
Quorum Sensing System ◽  
Type Response

ABSTRACT The Sin/ExpR quorum-sensing system of Sinorhizobium meliloti plays an important role in the symbiotic association with its host plant, Medicago sativa. The LuxR-type response regulators of the Sin system include the synthase (SinI)-associated SinR and the orphan regulator ExpR. Interestingly, the S. meliloti Rm1021 genome codes for four additional putative orphan LuxR homologs whose regulatory roles remain to be identified. These response regulators contain the characteristic domains of the LuxR family of proteins, which include an N-terminal autoinducer/response regulatory domain and a C-terminal helix-turn-helix domain. This study elucidates the regulatory role of one of the orphan LuxR-type response regulators, NesR. Through expression and phenotypic analyses, nesR was determined to affect the active methyl cycle of S. meliloti. Moreover, nesR was shown to influence nutritional and stress response activities in S. meliloti. Finally, the nesR mutant was deficient in competing with the wild-type strain for plant nodulation. Taken together, these results suggest that NesR potentially contributes to the adaptability of S. meliloti when it encounters challenges such as high osmolarity, nutrient starvation, and/or competition for nodulation, thus increasing its chances for survival in the stressful rhizosphere.

scholarly journals Quorum Sensing Controls Exopolysaccharide Production in Sinorhizobium meliloti

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (1) ◽  
pp. 325-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie M. Marketon ◽  
Sarah A. Glenn ◽  
Anatol Eberhard ◽  
Juan E. González
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Homoserine Lactone ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium capable of invading and establishing a symbiotic relationship with alfalfa plants. This invasion process requires the synthesis, by S. meliloti, of at least one of the two symbiotically important exopolysaccharides, succinoglycan and EPS II. We have previously shown that the sinRI locus of S. meliloti encodes a quorum-sensing system that plays a role in the symbiotic process. Here we show that the sinRI locus exerts one level of control through regulation of EPS II synthesis. Disruption of the autoinducer synthase gene, sinI, abolished EPS II production as well as the expression of several genes in the exp operon that are responsible for EPS II synthesis. This phenotype was complemented by the addition of acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) extracts from the wild-type strain but not from a sinI mutant, indicating that the sinRI-specified AHLs are required for exp gene expression. This was further confirmed by the observation that synthetic palmitoleyl homoserine lactone (C16:1-HL), one of the previously identified sinRI-specified AHLs, specifically restored exp gene expression. Most importantly, the absence of symbiotically active EPS II in a sinI mutant was confirmed in plant nodulation assays, emphasizing the role of quorum sensing in symbiosis.

scholarly journals The LuxR Homolog ExpR, in Combination with the Sin Quorum Sensing System, Plays a Central Role in Sinorhizobium meliloti Gene Expression

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (16) ◽  
pp. 5460-5472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanh H. Hoang ◽  
Anke Becker ◽  
Juan E. González
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Bacterial Communication ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Dna Microarray Data ◽  
Luxr Homolog ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

ABSTRACT Quorum sensing, a population density-dependent mechanism for bacterial communication and gene regulation, plays a crucial role in the symbiosis between alfalfa and its symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti. The Sin system, one of three quorum sensing systems present in S. meliloti, controls the production of the symbiotically active exopolysaccharide EPS II. Based on DNA microarray data, the Sin system also seems to regulate a multitude of S. meliloti genes, including genes that participate in low-molecular-weight succinoglycan production, motility, and chemotaxis, as well as other cellular processes. Most of the regulation by the Sin system is dependent on the presence of the ExpR regulator, a LuxR homolog. Gene expression profiling data indicate that ExpR participates in additional cellular processes that include nitrogen fixation, metabolism, and metal transport. Based on our microarray analysis we propose a model for the regulation of gene expression by the Sin/ExpR quorum sensing system and another possible quorum sensing system(s) in S. meliloti.

scholarly journals The Role of SprIR Quorum Sensing System in the Regulation of Serratia proteamaculans 94 Invasion

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2082
Author(s):  
Olga Tsaplina ◽  
Inessa Khmel ◽  
Yulia Zaitseva ◽  
Sofia Khaitlina
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Adhesion ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Bacterial Invasion ◽  
Host Cell Invasion ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Serratia Proteamaculans ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

The bacteria Serratia proteamaculans 94 have a LuxI/LuxR type QS system consisting of AHL synthase SprI and the regulatory receptor SprR. We have previously shown that inactivation of the AHL synthase sprI gene resulted in an increase in the invasive activity of S. proteamaculans correlated with an increased bacterial adhesion. In the present work, the effects of inactivation of the S. proteamaculans receptor SprR are studied. Our results show that inactivation of the receptor sprR gene leads to an increase in bacterial invasion without any increase in their adhesion. On the other hand, inactivation of the sprR gene increases the activity of the extracellular protease serralysin. Inactivation of the QS system does not affect the activity of the pore-forming toxin ShlA and prevents the ShlA activation under conditions of a limited concentration of iron ions typical of the human body. While the wild type strain shows increased invasion in the iron-depleted medium, deletion of its QS system leads to a decrease in host cell invasion, which is nevertheless similar to the level of the wild type S. proteamaculans grown in the iron-rich medium. Thus, inactivation of either of the two component of the S. proteamaculans LuxI/LuxR-type QS system leads to an increase in the invasive activity of these bacteria through different mechanisms and prevents invasion under the iron-limited conditions.

scholarly journals The LuxS-Dependent Quorum-Sensing System Regulates Early Biofilm Formation by Streptococcus pneumoniae Strain D39

2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 4050-4060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge E. Vidal ◽  
Herbert P. Ludewick ◽  
Rebekah M. Kunkel ◽  
Dorothea Zähner ◽  
Keith P. Klugman
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Middle Ear Mucosa ◽  
Transcript Levels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaeis the leading cause of death in children worldwide and forms highly organized biofilms in the nasopharynx, lungs, and middle ear mucosa. TheluxS-controlled quorum-sensing (QS) system has recently been implicated in virulence and persistence in the nasopharynx, but its role in biofilms has not been studied. Here we show that this QS system plays a major role in the control ofS. pneumoniaebiofilm formation. Our results demonstrate that theluxSgene is contained by invasive isolates and normal-flora strains in a region that contains genes involved in division and cell wall biosynthesis. TheluxSgene was maximally transcribed, as a monocistronic message, in the early mid-log phase of growth, and this coincides with the appearance of early biofilms. Demonstrating the role of the LuxS system in regulatingS. pneumoniaebiofilms, at 24 h postinoculation, two different D39ΔluxSmutants produced ∼80% less biofilm biomass than wild-type (WT) strain D39 did. Complementation of these strains withluxS, either in a plasmid or integrated as a single copy in the genome, restored their biofilm level to that of the WT. Moreover, a soluble factor secreted by WT strain D39 or purified AI-2 restored the biofilm phenotype of D39ΔluxS. Our results also demonstrate that during the early mid-log phase of growth, LuxS regulates the transcript levels oflytA, which encodes an autolysin previously implicated in biofilms, and also the transcript levels ofply, which encodes the pneumococcal pneumolysin. In conclusion, theluxS-controlled QS system is a key regulator of early biofilm formation byS. pneumoniaestrain D39.

scholarly journals The ExpR/Sin Quorum-Sensing System Controls Succinoglycan Production in Sinorhizobium meliloti

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (19) ◽  
pp. 7077-7088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Glenn ◽  
Nataliya Gurich ◽  
Morgan A. Feeney ◽  
Juan E. González
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Direct Synthesis ◽  
Low Molecular Weight ◽  
Plant Host ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti is a gram-negative soil bacterium capable of forming a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing relationship with its plant host, Medicago sativa. Various bacterially produced factors are essential for successful nodulation. For example, at least one of two exopolysaccharides produced by S. meliloti (succinoglycan or EPS II) is required for nodule invasion. Both of these polymers are produced in high- and low-molecular-weight (HMW and LMW, respectively) fractions; however, only the LMW forms of either succinoglycan or EPS II are active in nodule invasion. The production of LMW succinoglycan can be generated by direct synthesis or through the depolymerization of HMW products by the action of two specific endoglycanases, ExsH and ExoK. Here, we show that the ExpR/Sin quorum-sensing system in S. meliloti is involved in the regulation of genes responsible for succinoglycan biosynthesis as well as in the production of LMW succinoglycan. Therefore, quorum sensing, which has been shown to regulate the production of EPS II, also plays an important role in succinoglycan biosynthesis.

scholarly journals A Second Operator Is Involved in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Elastase (lasB) Activation

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (20) ◽  
pp. 6264-6270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronda M. Anderson ◽  
Chad A. Zimprich ◽  
Lynn Rust
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Homoserine Lactone ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Synergistic Activation ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Operator Sequence ◽  
Quorum Sensing System ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Elastase ◽  
Insertion Mutations

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasB elastase gene (lasB) transcription is controlled by the two-component quorum-sensing system of LasR, and the autoinducer, 3OC12-HSL (N-3-[oxododecanoyl]homoserine lactone). LasR and 3OC12-HSL-mediated lasBactivation requires a functional operator sequence (OP1) in thelasB promoter region. Optimal activation oflasB, however, requires a second sequence of 70% identity to OP1, named OP2, located 43 bp upstream of OP1. In this study, we used sequence substitutions and insertion mutations inlasBp-lacZ fusion plasmids to explore the role of OP2 in lasB activation. Our results demonstrate that (i) OP1 and OP2 synergistically mediate lasB activation; (ii) OP2, like OP1, responds to LasR and 3OC12-HSL; and (iii) the putative autoinducer-binding domain of LasR is not required for synergistic activation from OP1 and OP2.

scholarly journals Inactivation of traP Has No Effect on the Agr Quorum-Sensing System or Virulence of Staphylococcus aureus

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 4519-4527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey N. Shaw ◽  
Ing-Marie Jonsson ◽  
Vineet K. Singh ◽  
Andrej Tarkowski ◽  
George C. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

ABSTRACT The success of Staphylococcus aureus as a pathogen can largely be attributed to the plethora of genetic regulators encoded within its genome that temporally regulate its arsenal of virulence determinants throughout its virulence lifestyle. Arguably the most important of these is the two-component, quorum-sensing system agr. Over the last decade, the controversial presence of a second quorum-sensing system (the TRAP system) has been proposed, and it has been mooted to function as the master regulator of virulence in S. aureus by modulating agr. Mutants defective in TRAP are reported to be devoid of agr expression, lacking in hemolytic activity, essentially deficient in the secretion of virulence determinants, and avirulent in infection models. A number of research groups have questioned the validity of the TRAP findings in recent years; however, a thorough and independent analysis of its role in S. aureus physiology and pathogenesis has not been forthcoming. Therefore, we have undertaken such an analysis of the TRAP locus of S. aureus. We found that a traP mutant was equally hemolytic as the wild-type strain. Furthermore, transcriptional profiling found no alterations in the traP mutant in expression levels of agr or in expression levels of multiple agr-regulated genes (hla, sspA, and spa). Analysis of secreted and surface proteins of the traP mutant revealed no deviation in comparison to the parent. Finally, analysis conducted using a murine model of S. aureus septic arthritis revealed that, in contrast to an agr mutant, the traP mutant was just as virulent as the wild-type strain.

scholarly journals Novel Strategy for Improvement of the Bioleaching Efficiency of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Based on the AfeI/R Quorum Sensing System

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue-Yan Gao ◽  
Xiu-Jie Liu ◽  
Chang-Ai Fu ◽  
Xiu-Feng Gu ◽  
Jian-Qiang Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Acidithiobacillus Ferrooxidans ◽  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System ◽  
Novel Strategy

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is an acidophilic and chemolithotrophic sulfur- and iron-oxidizing bacterium that has been widely used in the bioleaching process for extracting metals. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are essential for bacteria-ore interactions, and the regulation of EPS synthesis could be an important way of influencing the efficiency of the bioleaching process. Therefore, exploring and utilizing the regulatory pathways of EPS synthesis to improve the bacterial bioleaching capability have posed a challenge in the study and application of bioleaching bacteria. Here, several engineering strains were constructed using genetic manipulation methods. And we revealed the regulatory function of the AfeI/R quorum sensing (QS) system in EPS synthesis and biofilm formation of A. ferrooxidans, and the AfeI/R-mediated EPS synthesis could influence bacteria-substrate interactions and the efficiency of bioleaching. Finally, an AfeI/R-mediated bioleaching model was proposed to illustrate the role of QS system in this process. This study provided new insights into and clues for developing highly efficient bioleaching bacteria and modulating the bioleaching process.

scholarly journals Regulon Studies and In Planta Role of the BraI/R Quorum-Sensing System in the Plant-Beneficial Burkholderia Cluster

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (14) ◽  
pp. 4421-4432 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Coutinho ◽  
B. Mitter ◽  
C. Talbi ◽  
A. Sessitsch ◽  
E. J. Bedmar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

scholarly journals The Enterococcus faecalis fsrB Gene, a Key Component of the fsr Quorum-Sensing System, Is Associated with Virulence in the Rabbit Endophthalmitis Model

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (8) ◽  
pp. 4678-4681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleftherios Mylonakis ◽  
Michael Engelbert ◽  
Xiang Qin ◽  
Costi D. Sifri ◽  
Barbara E. Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Enterococcus Faecalis ◽  
Deletion Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Quorum Sensing System

ABSTRACT We used a rabbit endophthalmitis model to explore the role of fsrB, a gene required for the function of the fsr quorum-sensing system of Enterococcus faecalis, in pathogenicity. A nonpolar deletion mutant of fsrB had significantly reduced virulence compared to wild type. Complementation of mutation restored virulence. These data corroborate the role of fsrB in E. faecalis pathogenesis and suggest that the rabbit endophthalmitis model can be used to study the in vivo role of quorum sensing.

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