Dataset Information

Caenorhabditis elegans BAH-1 is a DUF23 protein expressed in seam cells and required for microbial biofilm binding to the cuticle.

ABSTRACT: The cuticle of Caenorhabditis elegans, a complex, multi-layered extracellular matrix, is a major interface between the animal and its environment. Biofilms produced by the bacterial genus Yersinia attach to the cuticle of the worm, providing an assay for surface characteristics. A C. elegans gene required for biofilm attachment, bah-1, encodes a protein containing the domain of unknown function DUF23. The DUF23 domain is found in 61 predicted proteins in C. elegans, which can be divided into three distinct phylogenetic clades. bah-1 is expressed in seam cells, which are among the hypodermal cells that synthesize the cuticle, and is regulated by a TGF-beta signaling pathway.

SUBMITTER: Drace K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2727005 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Caenorhabditis elegans BAH-1 is a DUF23 protein expressed in seam cells and required for microbial biofilm binding to the cuticle.

Drace Kevin K McLaughlin Stephanie S Darby Creg C

PloS one 20090825 8

The cuticle of Caenorhabditis elegans, a complex, multi-layered extracellular matrix, is a major interface between the animal and its environment. Biofilms produced by the bacterial genus Yersinia attach to the cuticle of the worm, providing an assay for surface characteristics. A C. elegans gene required for biofilm attachment, bah-1, encodes a protein containing the domain of unknown function DUF23. The DUF23 domain is found in 61 predicted proteins in C. elegans, which can be divided into thr ...[more]

PMID: 19707590

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Project description:Pseudomonas brassicacearum DF41 is a biocontrol agent that suppresses disease caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum A number of exometabolites are produced by DF41 including the lipopeptide sclerosin, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and degradative enzymes. Production of these compounds is controlled at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional level by quorum sensing (QS) and the Gac-two component regulatory system. In order to be successful, a biocontrol agent must persist in the environment at levels sufficient for pathogen control. Bacterivorous predators, including nematodes, represent a challenge to the establishment of introduced microorganisms. In the current study, DF41 was investigated for its ability to resist predation by Caenorhabditis elegans. We discovered that this bacterium is capable of killing C. elegans through two different mechanisms: the first involves exposure to toxic metabolites; and the second entails biofilm formation on the nematode head blocking the buccal cavity. Biofilm formation on nematodes, which has only been reported for Yersinia spp. and Xenorhabdus nematophila, is dependent upon the Gac system. Biofilms were not observed when bacteria were grown on NaCl-containing media, and on C. elegans biofilm-resistant mutants. Co-culturing with nematodes lead to increased expression of the pdfRI-rfiA QS genes and hcnA which is under QS control. HCN was the most nematicidal of the exometabolites, suggesting that this bacterium can respond to predator cues and upregulate expression of toxins accordingly. In summary, DF41 is able to respond to the presence of C. elegans and through two distinct mechanisms it can escape predation.ImportancePseudomonas brassicacearum DF41 can suppress fungal pathogens through a process known as biocontrol. To be successful, a biocontrol agent must be able to persist in the environment at levels sufficient for pathogen control. Predators including the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans represent a threat to persistence. The aim of the current study was to investigate the DF41-C. elegans interaction. We discovered that DF41 is able to escape predation through two distinct mechanisms. The first involves exposure to toxic bacterial metabolites and the second entails formation of a sticky coating on the nematode head, called a biofilm, which blocks feeding and causes starvation. This is the first report of a pseudomonad forming biofilms on the C. elegans surface. When grown with C. elegans, DF41 exhibits altered gene expression and metabolite production indicating that this bacterium can sense the presence of these predators and adjust its physiology accordingly.

Dataset Information

Caenorhabditis elegans BAH-1 is a DUF23 protein expressed in seam cells and required for microbial biofilm binding to the cuticle.

Publications

Caenorhabditis elegans BAH-1 is a DUF23 protein expressed in seam cells and required for microbial biofilm binding to the cuticle.

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