Long-Chain Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Quorum-Sensing Regulation of Rhodobacter capsulatus Gene Transfer Agent Production

AUTOR(ES)

Schaefer, Amy L.

FONTE

American Society for Microbiology

RESUMO

Many proteobacteria use acyl-homoserine lactones as quorum-sensing signals. Traditionally, biological detection systems have been used to identify bacteria that produce acyl-homoserine lactones, although the specificities of these detection systems can limit discovery. We used a sensitive approach that did not require a bioassay to detect production of long-acyl-chain homoserine lactone production by Rhodobacter capsulatus and Paracoccus denitrificans. These long-chain acyl-homoserine lactones are not readily detected by standard bioassays. The most abundant acyl-homoserine lactone was N-hexadecanoyl-homoserine lactone. The long-chain acyl-homoserine lactones were concentrated in cells but were also found in the culture fluid. An R. capsulatus gene responsible for long-chain acyl-homoserine lactone synthesis was identified. A mutation in this gene, which we named gtaI, resulted in decreased production of the R. capsulatus gene transfer agent, and gene transfer agent production was restored by exogenous addition of N-hexadecanoyl-homoserine lactone. Thus, long-chain acyl-homoserine lactones serve as quorum-sensing signals to enhance genetic exchange in R. capsulatus.

Documentos Relacionados

• Metabolism of Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Quorum-Sensing Signals by Variovorax paradoxus
• Acyl homoserine-lactone quorum-sensing signal generation
• In Situ Activation of the Quorum-Sensing Transcription Factor TraR by Cognate and Noncognate Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Ligands: Kinetics and Consequences
• N-Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Inhibition of Rhizobial Growth Is Mediated by Two Quorum-Sensing Genes That Regulate Plasmid Transfer
• Acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing in Gram-negative bacteria: A signaling mechanism involved in associations with higher organisms