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Genes encoding the N-acyl homoserine lactone-degrading enzyme are widespread in many subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis.

ABSTRACT: Gram-negative bacteria can communicate with each other by N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are quorum-sensing autoinducers. Recently, the aiiA gene (encoding an enzyme catalyzing the degradation of AHL) has been cloned from Bacillus sp. strain 240B1. During investigations in the course of the ongoing Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni genome project, an aiiA homologue gene in the genome sequence was found. These results led to consideration of the possibility of the widespread existence of the gene in B. thuringiensis. aiiA homologue genes were found in 16 subspecies of B. thuringiensis, and their sequences were determined. Comparison of the Bacillus sp. strain 240B1 aiiA gene with the B. thuringiensis aiiA homologue genes showed high homologies of 89 to 95% and 90 to 96% in the nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence, respectively. Among the subspecies of B. thuringiensis having an aiiA gene, the subspecies aizawai, galleriae, kurstaki, kyushuensis, ostriniae, and subtoxicus were shown to degrade AHL. It was observed that recombinant Escherichia coli producing AiiA proteins also had AHL-degrading activity and could also attenuate the plant pathogenicity of Erwinia carotovora. These results indicate that insecticidal B. thuringiensis strains might have potential to compete with gram-negative bacteria in natural ecosystems by autoinducer-degrading activity.

SUBMITTER: Lee SJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC124016 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genes encoding the N-acyl homoserine lactone-degrading enzyme are widespread in many subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Lee Sang Jun SJ Park Sun-Yang SY Lee Jung-Ju JJ Yum Do-Young DY Koo Bon-Tag BT Lee Jung-Kee JK

Applied and environmental microbiology 20020801 8

Gram-negative bacteria can communicate with each other by N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are quorum-sensing autoinducers. Recently, the aiiA gene (encoding an enzyme catalyzing the degradation of AHL) has been cloned from Bacillus sp. strain 240B1. During investigations in the course of the ongoing Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni genome project, an aiiA homologue gene in the genome sequence was found. These results led to consideration of the possibility of the widespread exist ...[more]

PMID: 12147491

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Project description:N-Acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) are signaling molecules used in the quorum sensing (QS) of Gram-negative bacteria. Some bacteria interfere with the QS system using AHL-inactivating enzymes, commonly known as quorum-quenching (QQ) enzymes. We have recently isolated a new QQ bacterium showing high resistance to multiple β-lactam antibiotics, and its QQ enzyme (MacQ) confers β-lactam antibiotic resistance and exhibits QQ activities. This observation suggests the possibility of isolating novel QQ bacteria from β-lactam antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this direction, we attempted to isolate penicillin G (PENG)-resistant bacteria from penicillin-contaminated river sediments and activated sludge treating penicillin-containing wastewater and characterize their QQ activities. Of 19 PENG-resistant isolates, six isolates showed high QQ activity toward a broad range of AHLs, including AHLs with 3-oxo substituents. Five of the six AHL-degraders showed AHL-acylase activity and hydrolyzed the amide bond of AHLs, whereas the remaining one strain did not show AHL-acylase activity, suggesting that this isolate may likely possess alternative degradation mechanism such as AHL-lactonase activity hydrolyzing the lactone ring of AHLs. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis results categorized these six AHL-degrading isolates into at least five genera, namely, Sphingomonas (Alphaproteobacteria), Diaphorobacter (Betaproteobacteria), Acidovorax (Betaproteobacteria), Stenotrophomonas (Gammaproteobacteria), and Mycobacterium (Actinobacteria); of these, Mycobacterium sp. M1 has never been known as QQ bacteria. Moreover, multiple β-lactam antibiotics showed high minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) when tested against all of isolates. These results strongly demonstrate that a wide variety of β-lactam antibiotic-resistant bacteria possess QQ activities. Although the genetic and enzymatic elements are yet unclear, this study may infer the functional and evolutionary correlation between β-lactam antibiotic resistance and QQ activities.

Dataset Information

Genes encoding the N-acyl homoserine lactone-degrading enzyme are widespread in many subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Publications

Genes encoding the N-acyl homoserine lactone-degrading enzyme are widespread in many subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Similar Datasets

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