N-acylhomoserine-lactone-mediated communication between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia in mixed biofilms

TY - JOUR

T1 - N-acylhomoserine-lactone-mediated communication between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia in mixed biofilms

AU - Riedel, K

AU - Hentzer, Morten

AU - Geisenberger, O

AU - Huber, B

AU - Steidle, A

AU - Wu, H

AU - Høiby, N

AU - Givskov, M

AU - Molin, Søren

AU - Eberl, Leo

PY - 2001

Y1 - 2001

N2 - Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia are capable of forming mixed biofilms in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Both bacteria employ quorum-sensing systems, which rely on N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules, to co-ordinate expression of virulence factors with the formation of biofilms. As both bacteria utilize the same class of signal molecules the authors investigated whether communication between the species occurs. To address this issue, novel Gfp-based biosensors for non-destructive, in situ detection of AHLs were constructed and characterized. These sensors were used to visualize AHL-mediated communication in mixed biofilms, which were cultivated either in artificial flow chambers or in alginate beads in mouse lung tissue. In both model systems B. cepacia was capable of perceiving the AHL signals produced by P. aeruginosa, while the latter strain did not respond to the molecules produced by B. cepacia. Measurements of extracellular proteolytic activities of defined quorum-sensing mutants grown in media complemented with AHL extracts prepared from culture supernatants of various wild-type and mutant strains supported the view of unidirectional signalling between the two strains.

AB - Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia are capable of forming mixed biofilms in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Both bacteria employ quorum-sensing systems, which rely on N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules, to co-ordinate expression of virulence factors with the formation of biofilms. As both bacteria utilize the same class of signal molecules the authors investigated whether communication between the species occurs. To address this issue, novel Gfp-based biosensors for non-destructive, in situ detection of AHLs were constructed and characterized. These sensors were used to visualize AHL-mediated communication in mixed biofilms, which were cultivated either in artificial flow chambers or in alginate beads in mouse lung tissue. In both model systems B. cepacia was capable of perceiving the AHL signals produced by P. aeruginosa, while the latter strain did not respond to the molecules produced by B. cepacia. Measurements of extracellular proteolytic activities of defined quorum-sensing mutants grown in media complemented with AHL extracts prepared from culture supernatants of various wild-type and mutant strains supported the view of unidirectional signalling between the two strains.

KW - Animals

KW - Biofilms

KW - Burkholderia Infections

KW - Burkholderia cepacia

KW - Endopeptidases

KW - Genes, Reporter

KW - Green Fluorescent Proteins

KW - Homoserine

KW - Luminescent Proteins

KW - Lung Diseases

KW - Mice

KW - Pheromones

KW - Pseudomonas Infections

KW - Pseudomonas aeruginosa

KW - Signal Transduction

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 11739757

SN - 1350-0872

VL - 147

SP - 3249

EP - 3262

JO - Microbiology

JF - Microbiology

IS - Pt 12

ER -