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J. Bacteriol., 09 1997, 5271-5281, Vol 179, No. 17
S Swift, AV Karlyshev, L Fish, EL Durant, MK Winson, SR Chhabra, P Williams, S Macintyre and GS Stewart
Spent culture supernatants from both Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas
salmonicida activate a range of biosensors responsive to N- acylhomoserine
lactones (AHLs). The genes for a quorum sensing signal generator and a
response regulator were cloned from each Aeromonas species and termed ahyRI
and asaRI, respectively. Protein sequence homology analysis places the gene
products within the growing family of LuxRI homologs. ahyR and asaR are
transcribed divergently from ahyI and asaI, respectively, and in both
Aeromonas species, the genes downstream have been identified by DNA
sequence and PCR analysis. Downstream of both ahyI and asaI is a gene with
close homology to iciA, an inhibitor of chromosome replication in
Escherichia coli, a finding which implies that in Aeromonas, cell division
may be linked to quorum sensing. The major signal molecule synthesized via
both AhyI and AsaI was purified from spent culture supernatants and
identified as N-(butanoyl)-L- homoserine lactone (BHL) by thin-layer
chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis, and mass
spectrometry. In addition, a second, minor AHL, N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine
lactone, was identified. Transcriptional reporter studies with
ahyI::luxCDABE fusions indicate that AhyR and BHL are both required for
ahyI transcription. For A. salmonicida, although the addition of exogenous
BHL gives only a small stimulation of the production of serine protease
with comparison to the control culture, the incorporation of a longer-chain
AHL, N-(3- oxodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, reduced the final level (by
approximately 50%) and delayed the appearance (from an A650 of 0.9 in the
control to an A650 of 1.2 in the test) of protease in the culture
supernatant. These data add A. hydrophila and A. salmonicida to the growing
family of gram-negative bacteria now known to control gene expression
through quorum sensing.
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology
Quorum sensing in Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas salmonicida: identification of the LuxRI homologs AhyRI and AsaRI and their cognate N-acylhomoserine lactone signal molecules
Department of Applied Biochemistry and Food Science, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, United Kingdom. sczsis@szn1.nott.ac.uk
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