A New Class of Quorum Quenching Molecules from Staphylococcus Species Affects Communication and Growth of Gram-Negative Bacteria

PLoS Pathogens

Mulugeta Nega¹  Ya-Yun Chu¹  Friedrich Götz¹  Kirsten Jung²  Laure Plener²  Stephanie Grond³  Martina Wölfle³ 

[1] Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Tübingen (IMIT), Microbial Genetics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science (CiPSM) at the Department of Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany;Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

关键词: Pseudomonas aeruginosa;    Gram negative bacteria;    Staphylococcus;    Staphylococcus aureus;    Phosphorylation;    Bioluminescence;    Bacterial biofilms;    Serratia marcescens;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1003654

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

The knowledge that many pathogens rely on cell-to-cell communication mechanisms known as quorum sensing, opens a new disease control strategy: quorum quenching. Here we report on one of the rare examples where Gram-positive bacteria, the ‘Staphylococcus intermedius group’ of zoonotic pathogens, excrete two compounds in millimolar concentrations that suppress the quorum sensing signaling and inhibit the growth of a broad spectrum of Gram-negative beta- and gamma-proteobacteria. These compounds were isolated from Staphylococcus delphini. They represent a new class of quorum quenchers with the chemical formula N-[2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]-urea and N-(2-phenethyl)-urea, which we named yayurea A and B, respectively. In vitro studies with the N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) responding receptor LuxN of V. harveyi indicated that both compounds caused opposite effects on phosphorylation to those caused by AHL. This explains the quorum quenching activity. Staphylococcal strains producing yayurea A and B clearly benefit from an increased competitiveness in a mixed community.

【 授权许可】

CC BY