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PMID: 9393720 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

A quorum-sensing system in the free-living photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Journal of bacteriology ·Vol. 179 ·No. 23 ·1997-12-00 ·Pages 7530-7

Puskas A, Greenberg EP, Kaplan S, Schaefer AL

Abstract

Rhodobacter sphaeroides is a free-living, photoheterotrophic bacterium known for its genomic and metabolic complexity. We have discovered that this purple photosynthetic organism possesses a quorum-sensing system. Quorum sensing occurs in a number of eukaryotic host-associated gram-negative bacteria. In these bacteria there are two genes required for quorum sensing, the luxR and luxI homologs, and there is an acylhomoserine lactone signal molecule synthesized by the product of the luxI homolog. In R. sphaeroides, synthesis of a novel homoserine lactone signal, 7,8-cis-N-(tetradecenoyl)homoserine lactone, is directed by a luxI homolog termed cerI. Two open reading frames immediately upstream of cerI are proposed to be components of the quorum-sensing system. The first of these is a luxR homolog termed cerR, and the second is a small open reading frame of 159 bp. Inactivation of cerI in R. sphaeroides results in mucoid colony formation on agar and formation of large aggregates of cells in liquid cultures. Clumping of CerI mutants in liquid culture is reversible upon addition of the acylhomoserine lactone signal and represents a phenotype unlike those controlled by quorum sensing in other bacteria.

MeSH Terms
4-Butyrolactone/analogs & derivatives,biosynthesis,chemistry,pharmacology Amino Acid Sequence Bacterial Proteins/genetics Base Sequence Cell Communication/genetics Cloning, Molecular Genes, Bacterial Molecular Sequence Data Pheromones/biosynthesis,chemistry,pharmacology Repressor Proteins Restriction Mapping Rhodobacter sphaeroides/genetics Sequence Analysis, DNA Sequence Homology, Amino Acid Trans-Activators Transcription Factors/genetics
Chemicals
Bacterial Proteins LuxI protein, Bacteria N-(7-tetradecenoyl)homoserine lactone Pheromones Repressor Proteins Trans-Activators Transcription Factors LuxR autoinducer binding proteins 4-Butyrolactone
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Puskas A
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston 77224, USA.
Greenberg E P
Kaplan S
Schaefer A L
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Article Info
Journal
Journal of bacteriology
Abbr.
J Bacteriol
ISSN
0021-9193
DOI
10.1128/jb.179.23.7530-7537.1997
Published
1997-12-00
Pages
7530-7
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
2985120R
PMCID
PMC179706
Subset
IM
Grants
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM15590 · United States
Databases
GENBANK
AF016298
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jb.179.23.7530-7537.1997 PMC Full Text View journal details
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