Putthapoom Lumjiaktase. Identification and characterization of quorum sensing and quinolone sensing systems in Burkholderia pseudomallei . Doctoral Degree(Clinical Pathology). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2006.
Identification and characterization of quorum sensing and quinolone sensing systems in Burkholderia pseudomallei
Abstract:
Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a fatal human
tropical disease. Bacteria posses quorum sensing (QS) systems for regulation of
virulence factor by synthesizing autoinducers (AI) such as Acyl-homoserine lactone
(AHL), a tryptophan metabolite, and quinolones.
This thesis studied the AHL QS system of B. pseudomallei, the AI synthase BpsI
and its cognate AI binding transcription activator BpsR, by cloning and sequencing
bpsIR as well as creating knockout and complimentary strains. Using LC MS/MS, this
work first established that B. pseudomallei PP844, a wild type strain, synthesizes 5
AHLs: N-octanoylhomoserine lactone (C8-HSL); N-(3-oxooctanoyl) homoserine lactone
(3-oxo-C8-HSL); N-(3-hydroxyoctanoyl) homoserine lactone (3-hydroxy-C8-HSL); Ndecanoylhomoserine
lactone (C10-HSL); N-(3-(hydroxydecanoyl) homoserine lactone
(3-hydroxy-C10-HSL); and N-(3-hydroxydodecanoyl)homoserine lactone (3-hydroxy-
C12-HSL). Mutation of BpsI or BpsR resulted in the loss of C8-HSL and 3-oxo-C8-HSL
synthesis demonstrating that BpsI was responsible for directing the synthesis of these
AHLs only and that bpsI expression and hence C8-HSL and 3-oxo-C8-HSL production
depends on BpsR.
This study further determined the effect of the BpsIR QS system on the oxidative
stress protection of B. pseudomallei where the DNA-binding protein, DpsA plays a key
role. In bpsI, bpsR and bpsIR mutants, dpsA expression was substantially downregulated.
Furthermore, bpsIR-deficient mutants exhibited hypersensitivity to organic
hydroperoxide tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) by displaying a reduction in cell
viability which was restored by provision of exogenous C8-HSL (bpsI mutant) or by
complementation with the bpsIR genes or by overexpression of dpsA. These data
indicate that in B. pseudomallei, QS at least in part regulates the response to oxidative
stress via DpsA
In quinolone QS, the B. pseudomallei genome was found to contain the putative
quinolone synthesizing operon, pqsA-E. To test whether this operon was functionally
conserved, putative pqsA and pqsE genes from B. pseudomallei were introduced into P.
aeruginosa pqsA and pqsE mutants respectively. Both genes were able to complement
the respective mutations in P. aeruginosa by restoring its quinolone production. These
results demonstrate a more widespread conservation of the quinolones signal production
and highlight the potential role of quinolone in cross-species communication.