Evolution of the quorum sensing regulon in cooperating populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PROVIDER: GSE176411 | GEO | 2021/06/09
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has complex quorum sensing (QS) circuitry, which involves two acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) systems, the LasI AHL synthase and LasR AHL-dependent transcriptional activator system and the RhlI AHL synthase-RhlR AHL-responsive transcriptional activator. There is also a quinoline signaling system (the Pseudomonas quinolone signal, PQS, system). Although there is a core set of genes regulated by the AHL circuits, there is substantial strain-to-strain variation in the non-core QS regulated genes. Reductive evolution of the QS regulon, and variation in specific genes activated by QS occurs in laboratory evolution experiments with the model strain PAO1. We used a transcriptomics approach to test the hypothesis that reductive evolution in the PAO1 QS regulon can in large part be explained by a simple null mutation in pqsR, the gene encoding the transcriptional activator of the pqs operon. We found that PqsR had very little influence on the AHL QS regulon. This was a surprising finding because the last gene in the PqsR-dependent pqs operon, pqsE, codes for a protein, which physically interacts with RhlR and this interaction is required for full RhlR-dependent activation of some genes. We used comparative transcriptomics to examine the influence of a pqsE mutation on the QS regulon and identified only three transcripts, which were strictly dependent on PqsE. By using reporter constructs we showed that the PqsE influence on other genes was dependent on experimental conditions and we have gained some insight about those conditions. This work adds to our understanding of the plasticity of the P. aeruginosa QS regulon and to the role PqsE plays in RhlR-dependent gene activation.
2024-03-17 | GSE261453 | GEO
Project description:The human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa orchestrates the expression of many genes in a cell density-dependent manner by using a molecular communication system referred to as quorum sensing (QS). This bacterium uses an intricate network of regulators and QS molecules known as autoinducers. Among these autoinducers are two acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) involved in QS circuits which modulate virulence factors production, biofilm formation, and antimicrobial sensitivity. Disrupting QS, a strategy referred to as quorum quenching (QQ), is a promising approach to modulate virulence while not directly challenging bacterial survival. For P. aeruginosa, QQ can be achieved using exogenous AHL-degrading lactonases. However, the importance of enzyme specificity on quenching efficacy has never been investigated. Here, we used two lactonases both targeting the signal molecules N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-Homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12 HSL) and butyryl-homoserine lactone (C4 HSL) albeit with different efficacy on C4 HSL. Interestingly, both lactonases similarly decreased the concentrations of AHL and comparably impacted the expression of AHL-based circuits. Conversely, strong variations were observed in Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal (PQS) regulation. Both lactonases were then found to decrease virulence factors production and biofilm formation in vitro, albeit with different efficiencies. Unexpectedly, only the lactonase with substrate preference for 3-oxo-C12 HSL was able to inhibit P. aeruginosa pathogenicity in vivo in an amoeba infection model. Similarly, large variations between lactonases were observed in proteins involved in antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation, virulence and diverse cellular mechanisms. This global analysis provides the first evidence that QQ enzyme specificity is crucial to modulate QS-associated behavior in P. aeruginosa PA14.
2020-05-27 | PXD017421 | Pride
Project description:Quorum sensing (QS) is a mechanism of bacterial gene regulation in response to increases in population density. Production of small molecule QS signals, their accumulation within a diffusion-limited environment and their binding to the LuxR-type receptor trigger QS-controlled gene regulatory cascades. QS pathways mediated by acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) in Gram-negative bacteria are the best studied. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, for example, binding of AHLs to their cognate receptors (LasR, RhlR) controls production of virulence factors, pigments, antibiotics and other behaviors important for its interactions with eukaryotic hosts and other bacteria. We isolated a new small cyclopropane-containing fatty acid, lyngbyoic acid (1), as a major metabolite of the marine cyanobacterium, Lyngbya sp., collected off Fort Pierce, Florida. The structure of 1 was determined by NMR, MS and optical rotation. We screened 1 against four reporters based on AHL receptors from Vibrio fischeri (LuxR), Aeromonas hydrophila (AhyR), Agrobacterium tumefaciens (TraR) and P. aeruginosa (LasR) and found that 1 most strongly affected LasR. We show, by using a defined set of reporters, that compound 1 acts both through the AHL-binding site of LasR and independent of it. We also show that 1 reduces pyocyanin and LasB, both on the protein and transcript level, in wild-type P. aeruginosa, and that 1 directly inhibits LasB enzymatic activity. Conversely, dodecanoic acid (11) increased pyocanin and LasB, demonstrating that 1 is a “tagged” fatty acid potentially resistant to β-oxidation. 1 mL Cultures of P. aeruginosa PAO1 were grown for 6h at 37 °C with shaking either in the presence of lyngbyoic acid (1 mM) or EtOH alone (10 μL) as a control. RNA samples were obtained from one treated and one control culture, and were reverse transcribed, labeled and fragmented according to Affymetrix's protocol. The two samples were hybridized in duplicate.
2011-01-24 | E-GEOD-22999 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Quorum sensing (QS) is a mechanism of bacterial gene regulation in response to increases in population density. Production of small molecule QS signals, their accumulation within a diffusion-limited environment and their binding to the LuxR-type receptor trigger QS-controlled gene regulatory cascades. QS pathways mediated by acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) in Gram-negative bacteria are the best studied. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, for example, binding of AHLs to their cognate receptors (LasR, RhlR) controls production of virulence factors, pigments, antibiotics and other behaviors important for its interactions with eukaryotic hosts and other bacteria. We isolated a new small cyclopropane-containing fatty acid, lyngbyoic acid (1), as a major metabolite of the marine cyanobacterium, Lyngbya sp., collected off Fort Pierce, Florida. The structure of 1 was determined by NMR, MS and optical rotation. We screened 1 against four reporters based on AHL receptors from Vibrio fischeri (LuxR), Aeromonas hydrophila (AhyR), Agrobacterium tumefaciens (TraR) and P. aeruginosa (LasR) and found that 1 most strongly affected LasR. We show, by using a defined set of reporters, that compound 1 acts both through the AHL-binding site of LasR and independent of it. We also show that 1 reduces pyocyanin and LasB, both on the protein and transcript level, in wild-type P. aeruginosa, and that 1 directly inhibits LasB enzymatic activity. Conversely, dodecanoic acid (11) increased pyocanin and LasB, demonstrating that 1 is a “tagged” fatty acid potentially resistant to β-oxidation.
2011-01-24 | GSE22999 | GEO
Project description:To better understand the role of QscR in P. aeruginosa gene regulation and to better understand the relationship between QscR, LasR and RhlR control of gene expression we used transcription profiling to identify a QscR-dependent regulon. Our analysis revealed that QscR activates some genes and represses others. Some of the repressed genes are not regulated by the LasR-I or RhlR-I systems while others are. The LasI-generated 3-oxododecanoyl-homoserine lactone serves as a signal molecule for QscR. Thus QscR appears to be an integral component of the P. aeruginosa quorum sensing circuitry. QscR uses the LasI-generated acyl-homoserine lactone signal and controls a specific regulon that overlaps with the already overlapping LasR and RhlR-dependent regulons. Keywords: Quorum sensing regulon, Direct activation
2006-01-18 | GSE4026 | GEO
Project description:In people with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), bacterial infections involving the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. P. aeruginosa uses a cell-cell signaling mechanism called quorum sensing (QS) to regulate many virulence functions. One type of QS consists of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals produced by LuxI-type signal synthases, which bind a cognate LuxR-type transcription factor. In laboratory strains and conditions, P. aeruginosa employs two AHL synthase/receptor pairs arranged in a hierarchy, with the LasI/R system controlling the RhlI/R system and many downstream virulence factors. However, P. aeruginosa isolates with inactivating mutations in lasR are frequently isolated from chronic CF infections. We and others have shown that these isolates frequently use RhlR as the primary QS regulator. RhlR is rarely mutated in CF and environmental settings. We were interested if there were reproducible genetic characteristics of these isolates and if there was a central group of genes regulated by RhlR in all isolates. We examined five isolates and found signatures of adaptation common to CF isolates. Here, we analyzed CF clinial isolate E104. In this strain, RhlR positively regulates 48 genes, including those coding for known virulence factors. These results suggest a key group of QS-regulated factors important for pathogenesis of chronic infection, and position RhlR as a target for anti-QS therapeutics. Our work underscores the need to sample a diversity of isolates to understanding QS beyond what has been described in laboratory strains.
2022-03-18 | GSE198534 | GEO
Project description:In people with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), bacterial infections involving the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. P. aeruginosa uses a cell-cell signaling mechanism called quorum sensing (QS) to regulate many virulence functions. One type of QS consists of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals produced by LuxI-type signal synthases, which bind a cognate LuxR-type transcription factor. In laboratory strains and conditions, P. aeruginosa employs two AHL synthase/receptor pairs arranged in a hierarchy, with the LasI/R system controlling the RhlI/R system and many downstream virulence factors. However, P. aeruginosa isolates with inactivating mutations in lasR are frequently isolated from chronic CF infections. We and others have shown that these isolates frequently use RhlR as the primary QS regulator. RhlR is rarely mutated in CF and environmental settings. We were interested if there were reproducible genetic characteristics of these isolates and if there was a central group of genes regulated by RhlR in all isolates. We examined five isolates and found signatures of adaptation common to CF isolates. Here, we analyzed CF clinial isolate E167. In this strain, RhlR positively regulates 78 genes, including those coding for known virulence factors. These results suggest a key group of QS-regulated factors important for pathogenesis of chronic infection, and position RhlR as a target for anti-QS therapeutics. Our work underscores the need to sample a diversity of isolates to understanding QS beyond what has been described in laboratory strains.
2022-03-18 | GSE198719 | GEO
Project description:In people with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), bacterial infections involving the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. P. aeruginosa uses a cell-cell signaling mechanism called quorum sensing (QS) to regulate many virulence functions. One type of QS consists of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals produced by LuxI-type signal synthases, which bind a cognate LuxR-type transcription factor. In laboratory strains and conditions, P. aeruginosa employs two AHL synthase/receptor pairs arranged in a hierarchy, with the LasI/R system controlling the RhlI/R system and many downstream virulence factors. However, P. aeruginosa isolates with inactivating mutations in lasR are frequently isolated from chronic CF infections. We and others have shown that these isolates frequently use RhlR as the primary QS regulator. RhlR is rarely mutated in CF and environmental settings. We were interested if there were reproducible genetic characteristics of these isolates and if there was a central group of genes regulated by RhlR in all isolates. We examined five isolates and found signatures of adaptation common to CF isolates. Here, we analyzed CF clinial isolate E125. In this strain, RhlR positively regulates 28 genes, including those coding for known virulence factors. These results suggest a key group of QS-regulated factors important for pathogenesis of chronic infection, and position RhlR as a target for anti-QS therapeutics. Our work underscores the need to sample a diversity of isolates to understanding QS beyond what has been described in laboratory strains.
2022-03-18 | GSE198717 | GEO
Project description:In people with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), bacterial infections involving the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. P. aeruginosa uses a cell-cell signaling mechanism called quorum sensing (QS) to regulate many virulence functions. One type of QS consists of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals produced by LuxI-type signal synthases, which bind a cognate LuxR-type transcription factor. In laboratory strains and conditions, P. aeruginosa employs two AHL synthase/receptor pairs arranged in a hierarchy, with the LasI/R system controlling the RhlI/R system and many downstream virulence factors. However, P. aeruginosa isolates with inactivating mutations in lasR are frequently isolated from chronic CF infections. We and others have shown that these isolates frequently use RhlR as the primary QS regulator. RhlR is rarely mutated in CF and environmental settings. We were interested if there were reproducible genetic characteristics of these isolates and if there was a central group of genes regulated by RhlR in all isolates. We examined five isolates and found signatures of adaptation common to CF isolates. Here, we analyzed CF clinial isolate E113. In this strain, RhlR positively regulates 186 genes, including those coding for known virulence factors. These results suggest a key group of QS-regulated factors important for pathogenesis of chronic infection, and position RhlR as a target for anti-QS therapeutics. Our work underscores the need to sample a diversity of isolates to understanding QS beyond what has been described in laboratory strains.
2022-03-18 | GSE198716 | GEO
Project description:In people with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), bacterial infections involving the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. P. aeruginosa uses a cell-cell signaling mechanism called quorum sensing (QS) to regulate many virulence functions. One type of QS consists of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals produced by LuxI-type signal synthases, which bind a cognate LuxR-type transcription factor. In laboratory strains and conditions, P. aeruginosa employs two AHL synthase/receptor pairs arranged in a hierarchy, with the LasI/R system controlling the RhlI/R system and many downstream virulence factors. However, P. aeruginosa isolates with inactivating mutations in lasR are frequently isolated from chronic CF infections. We and others have shown that these isolates frequently use RhlR as the primary QS regulator. RhlR is rarely mutated in CF and environmental settings. We were interested if there were reproducible genetic characteristics of these isolates and if there was a central group of genes regulated by RhlR in all isolates. We examined five isolates and found signatures of adaptation common to CF isolates. Here, we analyzed CF clinial isolate E131. In this strain, RhlR positively regulates 105 genes, including those coding for known virulence factors. These results suggest a key group of QS-regulated factors important for pathogenesis of chronic infection, and position RhlR as a target for anti-QS therapeutics. Our work underscores the need to sample a diversity of isolates to understanding QS beyond what has been described in laboratory strains.
2022-03-18 | GSE198718 | GEO