Interchangeability and specificity of components from the quorum-sensing regulatory systems of Vibrio fischeri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (original) (raw)

Abstract

Autoinduction is a conserved mechanism of cell density-dependent gene regulation that occurs in a variety of gram-negative bacteria. Autoinducible luminescence in Vibrio fischeri requires a transcriptional activator, LuxR, while a LuxR homolog, LasR, activates elastase expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both LuxR and LasR require specific signal molecules, called autoinducers, for activity. We show here the activation in Escherichia coli of the V. fischeri luminescence (lux) operon by LasR and of the P. aeruginosa elastase gene (lasB) by LuxR when each is in the presence of its cognate autoinducer. Neither LuxR nor LasR showed appreciable activity with the heterologous V. fischeri or P. aeruginosa autoinducer. This supports the view that there is a direct interaction of each transcriptional activator with its proper autoinducer and suggests that there are conserved, autoinduction-related elements within the promoter regions of these genes.

3076

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Adar Y. Y., Ulitzur S. GroESL proteins facilitate binding of externally added inducer by LuxR protein-containing E. coli cells. J Biolumin Chemilumin. 1993 Sep-Oct;8(5):261–266. doi: 10.1002/bio.1170080506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bainton N. J., Bycroft B. W., Chhabra S. R., Stead P., Gledhill L., Hill P. J., Rees C. E., Winson M. K., Salmond G. P., Stewart G. S. A general role for the lux autoinducer in bacterial cell signalling: control of antibiotic biosynthesis in Erwinia. Gene. 1992 Jul 1;116(1):87–91. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(92)90633-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bever R. A., Iglewski B. H. Molecular characterization and nucleotide sequence of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase structural gene. J Bacteriol. 1988 Sep;170(9):4309–4314. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.9.4309-4314.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cao J. G., Meighen E. A. Purification and structural identification of an autoinducer for the luminescence system of Vibrio harveyi. J Biol Chem. 1989 Dec 25;264(36):21670–21676. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Choi S. H., Greenberg E. P. Genetic dissection of DNA binding and luminescence gene activation by the Vibrio fischeri LuxR protein. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jun;174(12):4064–4069. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.12.4064-4069.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Devine J. H., Shadel G. S., Baldwin T. O. Identification of the operator of the lux regulon from the Vibrio fischeri strain ATCC7744. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Aug;86(15):5688–5692. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.15.5688. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dunlap P. V., Kuo A. Cell density-dependent modulation of the Vibrio fischeri luminescence system in the absence of autoinducer and LuxR protein. J Bacteriol. 1992 Apr;174(8):2440–2448. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.8.2440-2448.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Eberhard A., Burlingame A. L., Eberhard C., Kenyon G. L., Nealson K. H., Oppenheimer N. J. Structural identification of autoinducer of Photobacterium fischeri luciferase. Biochemistry. 1981 Apr 28;20(9):2444–2449. doi: 10.1021/bi00512a013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Eberhard A. Inhibition and activation of bacterial luciferase synthesis. J Bacteriol. 1972 Mar;109(3):1101–1105. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.3.1101-1105.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Engebrecht J., Silverman M. Identification of genes and gene products necessary for bacterial bioluminescence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jul;81(13):4154–4158. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.13.4154. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Engebrecht J., Silverman M. Nucleotide sequence of the regulatory locus controlling expression of bacterial genes for bioluminescence. Nucleic Acids Res. 1987 Dec 23;15(24):10455–10467. doi: 10.1093/nar/15.24.10455. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fuqua W. C., Winans S. C. A LuxR-LuxI type regulatory system activates Agrobacterium Ti plasmid conjugal transfer in the presence of a plant tumor metabolite. J Bacteriol. 1994 May;176(10):2796–2806. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.10.2796-2806.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Fuqua W. C., Winans S. C., Greenberg E. P. Quorum sensing in bacteria: the LuxR-LuxI family of cell density-responsive transcriptional regulators. J Bacteriol. 1994 Jan;176(2):269–275. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.2.269-275.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gray K. M., Greenberg E. P. Physical and functional maps of the luminescence gene cluster in an autoinducer-deficient Vibrio fischeri strain isolated from a squid light organ. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jul;174(13):4384–4390. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.13.4384-4390.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Jones S., Yu B., Bainton N. J., Birdsall M., Bycroft B. W., Chhabra S. R., Cox A. J., Golby P., Reeves P. J., Stephens S. The lux autoinducer regulates the production of exoenzyme virulence determinants in Erwinia carotovora and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. EMBO J. 1993 Jun;12(6):2477–2482. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05902.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kaplan H. B., Greenberg E. P. Overproduction and purification of the luxR gene product: Transcriptional activator of the Vibrio fischeri luminescence system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Oct;84(19):6639–6643. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.19.6639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nealson K. H. Autoinduction of bacterial luciferase. Occurrence, mechanism and significance. Arch Microbiol. 1977 Feb 4;112(1):73–79. doi: 10.1007/BF00446657. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nealson K. H., Platt T., Hastings J. W. Cellular control of the synthesis and activity of the bacterial luminescent system. J Bacteriol. 1970 Oct;104(1):313–322. doi: 10.1128/jb.104.1.313-322.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Passador L., Cook J. M., Gambello M. J., Rust L., Iglewski B. H. Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes requires cell-to-cell communication. Science. 1993 May 21;260(5111):1127–1130. doi: 10.1126/science.8493556. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Pearson J. P., Gray K. M., Passador L., Tucker K. D., Eberhard A., Iglewski B. H., Greenberg E. P. Structure of the autoinducer required for expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Jan 4;91(1):197–201. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.1.197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Piper K. R., Beck von Bodman S., Farrand S. K. Conjugation factor of Agrobacterium tumefaciens regulates Ti plasmid transfer by autoinduction. Nature. 1993 Apr 1;362(6419):448–450. doi: 10.1038/362448a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Pirhonen M., Flego D., Heikinheimo R., Palva E. T. A small diffusible signal molecule is responsible for the global control of virulence and exoenzyme production in the plant pathogen Erwinia carotovora. EMBO J. 1993 Jun;12(6):2467–2476. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05901.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Ralling G., Bodrug S., Linn T. Growth rate-dependent regulation of RNA polymerase synthesis in Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1985;201(3):379–386. doi: 10.1007/BF00331327. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Shadel G. S., Young R., Baldwin T. O. Use of regulated cell lysis in a lethal genetic selection in Escherichia coli: identification of the autoinducer-binding region of the LuxR protein from Vibrio fischeri ATCC 7744. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jul;172(7):3980–3987. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.7.3980-3987.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Slock J., VanRiet D., Kolibachuk D., Greenberg E. P. Critical regions of the Vibrio fischeri luxR protein defined by mutational analysis. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jul;172(7):3974–3979. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.7.3974-3979.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Zhang L., Murphy P. J., Kerr A., Tate M. E. Agrobacterium conjugation and gene regulation by N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones. Nature. 1993 Apr 1;362(6419):446–448. doi: 10.1038/362446a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]