Structural identification of a bacterial quorum-sensing signal containing boron

Cell-cell communication in bacteria is accomplished through the exchange of extracellular signalling molecules called autoinducers. This process, termed quorum sensing, allows bacterial populations to coordinate gene expression. Community cooperation probably enhances the effectiveness of processes such as bioluminescence, virulence factor expression, antibiotic production and biofilm development. Unlike other autoinducers, which are specific to a particular species of bacteria, a recently discovered autoinducer (AI-2) is produced by a large number of bacterial species. AI-2 has been proposed to serve as a 'universal' signal for inter-species communication. The chemical identity of AI-2 has, however, proved elusive. Here we present the crystal structure of an AI-2 sensor protein, LuxP, in a complex with autoinducer. The bound ligand is a furanosyl borate diester that bears no resemblance to previously characterized autoinducers. Our findings suggest that addition of naturally occurring borate to an AI-2 precursor generates active AI-2. Furthermore, they indicate a potential biological role for boron, an element required by a number of organisms but for unknown reasons.     

Interference with AI-2-mediated bacterial cell-cell communication

Bacteria communicate by means of chemical signal molecules called autoinducers. This process, called quorum sensing, allows bacteria to count the members in the community and to alter gene expression synchronously across the population. Quorum-sensing-controlled processes are often crucial for successful bacterial--host relationships--both symbiotic and pathogenic. Most quorum-sensing autoinducers promote intraspecies communication, but one autoinducer, called AI-2, is produced and detected by a wide variety of bacteria and is proposed to allow interspecies communication. Here we show that some species of bacteria can manipulate AI-2 signalling and interfere with other species' ability to assess and respond correctly to changes in cell population density. AI-2 signalling, and the interference with it, could have important ramifications for eukaryotes in the maintenance of normal microflora and in protection from pathogenic bacteria.     

细菌群体感应机制与动植物病原菌的致病力

N 酰基高丝氨酸内酯 (AHLs)作为信号分子介导的细菌群体感应机制参与许多生物学功能的调节 ,当侵染动植物寄主组织的病原菌繁殖到一定量时 ,细菌本身产生的AHLs积累到临界浓度 ,AHLs与胞内特异受体结合 ,启动致病因子的表达。利用AHLs降解酶和AHLs类似物的特性 ,干扰和破坏病原菌的AHLs 群体感应机制 ,将为利用现代生物技术防治此类细菌病害开辟了一条全新的途径     

Filamentous phage integration requires the host recombinases XerC and XerD

Many bacteriophages and animal viruses integrate their genomes into the chromosomal DNA of their hosts as a method of promoting vertical transmission. Phages that integrate in a site-specific fashion encode an integrase enzyme that catalyses recombination between the phage and host genomes. CTX phi is a filamentous bacteriophage that contains the genes encoding cholera toxin, the principal virulence factor of the diarrhoea-causing Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. CTX phi integrates into the V. cholerae genome in a site-specific manner; however, the approximately 6.9-kilobase (kb) CTX phi genome does not encode any protein with significant homology to known recombinases. Here we report that XerC and XerD, two chromosome-encoded recombinases that ordinarily function to resolve chromosome dimers at the dif recombination site, are essential for CTX phi integration into the V. cholerae genome. The CTX phi integration site was found to overlap with the dif site of the larger of the two V. cholerae chromosomes. Examination of sequences of the integration sites of other filamentous phages indicates that the XerCD recombinases also mediate the integration of these phage genomes at dif-like sites in various bacterial species.     

Satellite phage TLCφ enables toxigenic conversion by CTX phage through dif site alteration

Bacterial chromosomes often carry integrated genetic elements (for example plasmids, transposons, prophages and islands) whose precise function and contribution to the evolutionary fitness of the host bacterium are unknown. The CTXφ prophage, which encodes cholera toxin in Vibrio cholerae, is known to be adjacent to a chromosomally integrated element of unknown function termed the toxin-linked cryptic (TLC). Here we report the characterization of a TLC-related element that corresponds to the genome of a satellite filamentous phage (TLC-Knφ1), which uses the morphogenesis genes of another filamentous phage (fs2φ) to form infectious TLC-Knφ1 phage particles. The TLC-Knφ1 phage genome carries a sequence similar to the dif recombination sequence, which functions in chromosome dimer resolution using XerC and XerD recombinases. The dif sequence is also exploited by lysogenic filamentous phages (for example CTXφ) for chromosomal integration of their genomes. Bacterial cells defective in the dimer resolution often show an aberrant filamentous cell morphology. We found that acquisition and chromosomal integration of the TLC-Knφ1 genome restored a perfect dif site and normal morphology to V.?cholerae wild-type and mutant strains with dif(-) filamentation phenotypes. Furthermore, lysogeny of a dif(-) non-toxigenic V.?cholerae with TLC-Knφ1 promoted its subsequent toxigenic conversion through integration of CTXφ into the restored dif site. These results reveal a remarkable level of cooperative interactions between multiple filamentous phages in the emergence of the bacterial pathogen that causes cholera.     

环肽、3-苯乳酸与苯丙酸组合物对双菌生物被膜的影响

为研究植物乳杆菌CCFM8724产生的3种代谢物环亮氨酸脯氨酸二肽、3-苯乳酸、苯丙酸对变异链球菌和白色念珠菌双菌生物被膜的作用及其作用机制,测定了3种代谢物的组合物对变异链球菌和白色念珠菌双菌生物被膜量、胞外多糖和胞外蛋白产量、群体感应信号分子AI-2产量及生物被膜结构的影响,并通过分子对接的方式探究小分子代谢物结合致病菌靶点的方式和构象。结果表明:组合物的干预使变异链球菌和白色念珠菌双菌生物被膜量减少了79.4%,水不溶性胞外多糖和胞外蛋白的产量分别减少了63.8%、60.2%,群体感应信号分子AI-2产量减少了80.7%,同时破坏了生物被膜结构。分子对接结果显示:组合物可以与变异链球菌PtxA蛋白和白色念珠菌Fba蛋白的靶点结合,影响其糖代谢,进而抑制二者形成生物被膜。通过探究植物乳杆菌CCFM8724抑制双菌生物被膜潜在的物质基础,旨在从分子水平揭示组合物环亮氨酸脯氨酸二肽、3-苯乳酸、苯丙酸可能的抑菌机理,为植物乳杆菌CCFM8724及其代谢物组合物开发口腔益生菌和后生元产品提供一定的理论依据。     

Evidence for several waves of global transmission in the seventh cholera pandemic

Vibrio cholerae is a globally important pathogen that is endemic in many areas of the world and causes 3-5 million reported cases of cholera every year. Historically, there have been seven acknowledged cholera pandemics; recent outbreaks in Zimbabwe and Haiti are included in the seventh and ongoing pandemic. Only isolates in serogroup O1 (consisting of two biotypes known as 'classical' and 'El Tor') and the derivative O139 can cause epidemic cholera. It is believed that the first six cholera pandemics were caused by the classical biotype, but El Tor has subsequently spread globally and replaced the classical biotype in the current pandemic. Detailed molecular epidemiological mapping of cholera has been compromised by a reliance on sub-genomic regions such as mobile elements to infer relationships, making El Tor isolates associated with the seventh pandemic seem superficially diverse. To understand the underlying phylogeny of the lineage responsible for the current pandemic, we identified high-resolution markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs) in 154 whole-genome sequences of globally and temporally representative V. cholerae isolates. Using this phylogeny, we show here that the seventh pandemic has spread from the Bay of Bengal in at least three independent but overlapping waves with a common ancestor in the 1950s, and identify several transcontinental transmission events. Additionally, we show how the acquisition of the SXT family of antibiotic resistance elements has shaped pandemic spread, and show that this family was first acquired at least ten years before its discovery in V. cholerae.     

Quenching quorum-sensing-dependent bacterial infection by an N-acyl homoserine lactonase.

Bacterial cells sense their population density through a sophisticated cell-cell communication system and trigger expression of particular genes when the density reaches a threshold. This type of gene regulation, which controls diverse biological functions including virulence, is known as quorum sensing. Quorum-sensing signals, such as acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), are the essential components of the communication system. AHLs regulate virulence gene expression in a range of plant and animal (including human) bacterial pathogens. AHL-producing tobacco restored the pathogenicity of an AHL-negative mutant of Erwinia carotovora. Different bacterial species may produce different AHLs, which vary in the length and substitution of the acyl chain but contain the same homoserine lactone moiety. Here we show that the acyl-homoserine lactonase (AHL-lactonase), a new enzyme from Bacillus sp., inactivates AHL activity by hydrolysing the lactone bond of AHLs. Plants expressing AHL-lactonase quenched pathogen quorum-sensing signalling and showed significantly enhanced resistance to E. carotovora infection. Our results highlight a promising potential to use quorum-sensing signals as molecular targets for disease control, thereby broadening current approaches for prevention of bacterial infections.     

A colonization factor links Vibrio cholerae environmental survival and human infection

Many bacteria that cause diseases must be able to survive inside and outside the host. Attachment to and colonization of abiotic or biotic surfaces is a common mechanism by which various microorganisms enhance their ability to survive in diverse environments. Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative aquatic bacillus that is often found in the environment attached to the chitinous exoskeletons of zooplankton. It has been suggested that attachment to zooplankton enhances environmental survival of Vibrio spp., probably by providing both an abundant source of carbon and nitrogen and protection from numerous environmental challenges. On ingestion by humans, some serogroups of V. cholerae cause the diarrhoeal disease cholera. The pathophysiology of cholera is a result of the effects of cholera toxin on intestinal epithelial cells. For sufficient quantities of cholera toxin to reach the intestinal epithelium and to produce clinical symptoms, colonization of the small bowel must occur. Because most V. cholerae do not colonize humans, but all probably require strategies for survival in the environment, we considered that colonization factors selected for in the environment may be the same as those required for intestinal colonization of humans. In support of this hypothesis, here we have identified a single protein required for efficient intestinal colonization that mediates attachment to both zooplankton and human epithelial cells by binding to a sugar present on both surfaces.     

Membrane vesicles traffic signals and facilitate group activities in a prokaryote

Many bacteria use extracellular signals to communicate and coordinate social activities, a process referred to as quorum sensing. Many quorum signals have significant hydrophobic character, and how these signals are trafficked between bacteria within a population is not understood. Here we show that the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa packages the signalling molecule 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (pseudomonas quinolone signal; PQS) into membrane vesicles that serve to traffic this molecule within a population. Removal of these vesicles from the bacterial population halts cell-cell communication and inhibits PQS-controlled group behaviour. We also show that PQS actively mediates its own packaging and the packaging of other antimicrobial quinolines produced by P. aeruginosa into vesicles. These findings illustrate that a prokaryote possesses a signal trafficking system with features common to those used by higher organisms and outlines a novel mechanism for delivery of a signal critical for coordinating group behaviour in P. aeruginosa.     

Quorum sensing in Gram-negative bacteria

Bacteria can communicate with each other by means of signal molecules to coordinate the behavior of the entire community,and the mechanism is referred to as quorum sensing (QS).Signal systems enable bacteria to sense the size of their densities by monitoring the concentration of the signal molecules.Among Gram-negative bacteria N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL)-dependent quorum sensing systems are particularly widespread.These systems are used to coordinate expression of phenotypes that are fundamental to the interaction of bacteria with each other and with their environment and particularly higher organisms,covering a variety of functions ranging from pathogenic to symbiotic interactions.The detailed knowledge of these bacterial communication systems has opened completely new perspectives for controlling undesired microbial activities.     

大白菜软腐病发生原因及其防治方法

大白菜软腐病是大白菜细菌性病害中最严重的一种,作者简要介绍了我国大白菜软腐病的病原菌、病害特征以及对病害的防治方法。利用现代基因技术手段人为的操纵细菌群体感应系统,将会成为提高植物抗病性的新方法、新途径。     

角蒿中的环己乙醇类化学成分研究

 利用Sephadex LH-20及硅胶等柱色谱技术从药用民族植物角蒿(Incarvillea dissectifoliolaQ.S. Zhao)的根茎中分离得到了11个环己乙醇类化合物。经理化数据对照和波谱分析,确定它们的结构分别为rengyolone(1), (3aS, 6R) 2,3,3a,6,7,7a-hexahydrobenzofuran-3a,6-diol (2),(3aR)-hexahydro-3ahydroxybenzofuran-6(2H)-one(3),(3aR,6R)-octahydrobenzofuran-3a,6-diol (4),(3aR,6S)-octahydrobenzofuran-3a,6-diol (5),4-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxyethyl) cyclohexanone (6),(3aS,4S)-hexahydro-3a,4-dihydroxybenzofuran-6(2H)-one (7),(3aR,4S)-hexahydro-3a,4-dihydroxy benzofuran-6(2H)-one (8),rengyol (9),isorengyol (10)和rengyoside B (11)。这11个化合物均为首次从角蒿中分离得到。化合物4,5,6,7,8,9,10的细胞毒活性未见报道,对它们的细胞毒活性进行了测定,结果表明它们对HL-60细胞株的IC₅₀分别为102,44.7,24.6,98.0,47.8,25.3,92.3和47.2 μmol/L。     

针对不同来源金黄色葡萄球菌分离菌株的agr Ⅰ-Ⅳ分型初探

目的:金黄色葡萄球菌附属基因调节子(agr)位点是一个全面的群集感应系统并且控制着毒力因子的产生,本研究旨在针对不同来源的金黄色葡萄球菌分离菌株进行agr Ⅰ-Ⅳ基因分型研究.方法:根据金黄色葡萄球菌agrⅠ-Ⅳ基因组别类型的引物,对五种不同来源的169株金黄色葡萄球菌DNA模板进行多重PCR扩增,获得目的基因,以判断agr基因型.结果:169株分离菌株中,agrⅡ型的检出率为19%(32/169),agrⅢ型检出率为12%(20/169),agrⅣ型检出率为8%(14/169),五种不同来源的金黄色葡萄球菌均有检出agrⅡ型,均未检出agrⅠ型,并且都含有未能分型的agr阴性菌株.研究结果表明不同来源金黄色葡萄球菌分离菌株中agr Ⅰ-Ⅳ基因型的流行情况.该方法对于金黄色葡萄球菌菌株分子分型有一定的借鉴意义,也为金黄色葡萄球菌菌株分子流行病学调查奠定一定的基础.     

与己醛具有群体感应协同抑制效应的精油成分组合筛选研究

为了减少精油作为抗菌剂的实际使用量,研究了对胡萝卜软腐欧氏杆菌(蔬菜腐败菌)的群体感应具有协同抑制作用的精油成分组合。基于胡萝卜软腐欧氏杆菌的最小抑菌浓度和分级抑菌浓度,从9种精油成分中筛选出与己醛具有协同抑菌作用的4个精油成分组合,利用紫色杆菌CV026和胡萝卜软腐欧氏杆菌筛选其中对二者群体感应具有协同抑制效应的精油成分组合,进一步利用能够判别两种物质是否具有协同作用的金氏公式验证,发现己醛只有与香叶醇组合才具有较好的群体感应协同抑制效果,而且有效浓度仅为己醛和香叶醇单体最小抑菌浓度的1/8和1/16。该组合对紫色杆菌CV026和胡萝卜软腐欧氏杆菌的群体感应相关指标均具有较好的抑制效果,其中群体感应指标中的产紫色菌素、游泳运动、群集运动、产胞外多糖和生物被膜形成的抑制率分别为52.91%、58.19%、51.49%、65.03%和69.84%。通过扫描电子显微镜和激光共聚焦显微镜进一步观察到己醛联合香叶醇对胡萝卜软腐欧氏杆菌生物被膜的形成具有明显的破坏作用。研究结果表明,具有协同抑制腐败菌群体感应作用的己醛与香叶醇组合,可以在降低精油成分实际使用量的同时,有效抑制腐败菌的腐败特性。     

SOS response promotes horizontal dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes

Mobile genetic elements have a crucial role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial populations. Environmental and genetic factors that regulate conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial populations are largely unknown. Integrating conjugative elements (ICEs) are a diverse group of mobile elements that are transferred by means of cell-cell contact and integrate into the chromosome of the new host. SXT is a approximately 100-kilobase ICE derived from Vibrio cholerae that encodes genes that confer resistance to chloramphenicol, sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim and streptomycin. SXT-related elements were not detected in V. cholerae before 1993 but are now present in almost all clinical V. cholerae isolates from Asia. ICEs related to SXT are also present in several other bacterial species and encode a variety of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes. Here we show that SetR, an SXT encoded repressor, represses the expression of activators of SXT transfer. The 'SOS response' to DNA damage alleviates this repression, increasing the expression of genes necessary for SXT transfer and hence the frequency of transfer. SOS is induced by a variety of environmental factors and antibiotics, for example ciprofloxacin, and we show that ciprofloxacin induces SXT transfer as well. Thus, we present a mechanism by which therapeutic agents can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.     

RP-HPLC在(Et4N)2[Fe4(SPh)10]引发的SRN1反应中的应用研究

首次采用反相高效液相色谱法(RP-HPLC)直接测定1-溴代萘分别与片呐酮碳负离子和苯乙酮碳负离子在铁硫簇合物(Et4N)2[Fe4(SPh)10]催化引发下的SRN1反应产物3，3-二甲基-1-(1-萘基)-2-丁酮和2-(1-萘基)-1-苯乙酮的含量差异．以甲醇／四氢呋喃／水为流动相，经C18色谱柱分离，在254nm检测波长下，最低检测限分别为0．004mg／L和0．011mg／L，线性方程分别在0．012mg／L-1．4mg／L和0．011mg／L-0．8mg／L范围内具有良好的线性关系，相关系数分别为0．9999和0．9996．     

Cholera toxin genes: nucleotide sequence, deletion analysis and vaccine development

Nucleotide sequence and deletion analysis have been used to identify the regulatory and coding sequences comprising the cholera toxin operon (ctx). Incorporation of defined in vitro-generated ctx deletion mutations into Vibrio cholerae by in vivo genetic recombination produced strains which have practical value in cholera vaccine development.