Dataset Information

Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria communicate using secreted chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers in a process known as quorum sensing. The quorum-sensing network of the marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi uses three autoinducers, each known to encode distinct ecological information. Yet how cells integrate and interpret the information contained within these three autoinducer signals remains a mystery. Here, we develop a new framework for analyzing signal integration on the basis of information theory and use it to analyze quorum sensing in V. harveyi. We quantify how much the cells can learn about individual autoinducers and explain the experimentally observed input-output relation of the V. harveyi quorum-sensing circuit. Our results suggest that the need to limit interference between input signals places strong constraints on the architecture of bacterial signal-integration networks, and that bacteria probably have evolved active strategies for minimizing this interference. Here, we analyze two such strategies: manipulation of autoinducer production and feedback on receptor number ratios.

SUBMITTER: Mehta P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2795473 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing.

Mehta Pankaj P Goyal Sidhartha S Long Tao T Bassler Bonnie L BL Wingreen Ned S NS

Molecular systems biology 20091117

Bacteria communicate using secreted chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers in a process known as quorum sensing. The quorum-sensing network of the marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi uses three autoinducers, each known to encode distinct ecological information. Yet how cells integrate and interpret the information contained within these three autoinducer signals remains a mystery. Here, we develop a new framework for analyzing signal integration on the basis of information theory and use i ...[more]

PMID: 19920810

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Project description:Interactions between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria fundamentally shape marine ecosystems by controlling primary production, structuring marine food webs, mediating carbon export, and influencing global climate. Phytoplankton-bacterium interactions are facilitated by secreted compounds; however, linking these chemical signals, their mechanisms of action, and their resultant ecological consequences remains a fundamental challenge. The bacterial quorum-sensing signal 2-heptyl-4-quinolone (HHQ) induces immediate, yet reversible, cellular stasis (no cell division or mortality) in the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi; however, the mechanism responsible remains unknown. Using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches in combination with diagnostic biochemical and fluorescent cell-based assays, we show that HHQ exposure leads to prolonged S-phase arrest in phytoplankton coincident with the accumulation of DNA damage and a lack of repair despite the induction of the DNA damage response (DDR). While this effect is reversible, HHQ-exposed phytoplankton were also protected from viral mortality, ascribing a new role of quorum-sensing signals in regulating multitrophic interactions. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that in situ measurements of HHQ coincide with areas of enhanced micro- and nanoplankton biomass. Our results suggest bacterial communication signals as emerging players that may be one of the contributing factors that help structure complex microbial communities throughout the ocean.IMPORTANCE Bacteria and phytoplankton form close associations in the ocean that are driven by the exchange of chemical compounds. The bacterial signal 2-heptyl-4-quinolone (HHQ) slows phytoplankton growth; however, the mechanism responsible remains unknown. Here, we show that HHQ exposure leads to the accumulation of DNA damage in phytoplankton and prevents its repair. While this effect is reversible, HHQ-exposed phytoplankton are also relieved of viral mortality, elevating the ecological consequences of this complex interaction. Further results indicate that HHQ may target phytoplankton proteins involved in nucleotide biosynthesis and DNA repair, both of which are crucial targets for viral success. Our results support microbial cues as emerging players in marine ecosystems, providing a new mechanistic framework for how bacterial communication signals mediate interspecies and interkingdom behaviors.

Dataset Information

Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing.

Publications

Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing.

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