Quorum sensing and self-quorum quenching in the intracellular pathogen Brucellamelitensis

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 11;8(12):e82514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082514. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Brucella quorum sensing has been described as an important regulatory system controlling crucial virulence determinants such as the VirB type IV secretion system and the flagellar genes. However, the basis of quorum sensing, namely the production of autoinducers in Brucella has been questioned. Here, we report data obtained from the use of a genetic tool allowing the in situ detection of long-chain N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) activity at single bacterium level in Brucella melitensis. These data are consistent with an intrinsic production of AHL by B. melitensis in low concentration both during in vitro growth and macrophage infection. Moreover, we identified a protein, named AibP, which is homologous to the AHL-acylases of various bacterial species. In vitro and during infection, expression of aibP coincided with a decrease in endogenous AHL activity within B. melitensis, suggesting that AibP could efficiently impair AHL accumulation. Furthermore, we showed that deletion of aibP in B. melitensis resulted in enhanced virB genes expression and VirB8 production as well as in a reduced flagellar genes expression and production of FlgE (hook protein) and FliC (flagellin) in vitro. Altogether, these results suggest that AHL-dependent quorum sensing and AHL-quorum quenching coexist in Brucella, at least to regulate its virulence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acyl-Butyrolactones / metabolism
  • Amidohydrolases / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Brucella melitensis / pathogenicity
  • Brucella melitensis / physiology*
  • Cell Line
  • Flagella / genetics
  • Flagella / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Quorum Sensing* / genetics
  • Virulence / genetics

Substances

  • Acyl-Butyrolactones
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Amidohydrolases
  • amidase

Grants and funding

Part of this work was funded by an ARC Convention from the French community of Belgium (no. 08/13-015) and by the Interuniversity Attraction Poles Programme initiated by the Belgian Science Policy Office (http://www.belspo.be/belspo/iap/index_en.stm). AM, JL and CD were recipients of a specialization grant from FRIA (Fonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et l’Agriculture). MT has a PhD grant as “Aspirant du FNRS’’ (http://www.fnrs.be/fr/financer-les-chercheurs/introduction.html). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.