Directed evolution of the autoinducer selectivity of Vibrio fischeri LuxR

The Journal of General and Applied Microbiology

Shigeko Kawai-Noma¹  Kei Terakubo¹  Daisuke Umeno¹  Maiko Furubayashi¹  Akira Tanaka¹  Yuki Kimura¹  Kyoichi Saito¹  Yohei Tashiro¹ 

[1] Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Chiba University

关键词: agonist;    antagonist;    orthogonal system;    quorum sensing;    synthetic biology;    transcription factor;   

DOI  :  10.2323/jgam.2016.04.005

学科分类：微生物学和免疫学

来源: Applied Microbiology, Molecular and Cellulrar Biosciences Research Foundation

【 摘 要 】

LuxR family transcriptional regulators are the core components of quorum sensing in Gram-negative bacteria and exert their effects through binding to the signaling molecules acyl-homoserine lactones (acyl-HSLs). The function of the LuxR homologs is remarkably plastic, and naturally occurring acyl-HSLs are structurally diverse. To investigate the molecular basis of the functional plasticity of Vibrio fischeri LuxR, we directed the evolution of LuxR toward three different specificities in the laboratory. We found an orthogonal pair of LuxR mutants specific either to 3-oxo-hexanoyl homoserine lactone or to 3-oxo-octanoyl homoserine lactone. Interestingly, the majority of the specificity changes did not arise from modulating the recognition event but rather from changing the efficiency of the transition from the inactive form to the active form upon signal binding. This finding explains how quorum sensing systems can rapidly diverge in nature and in the laboratory and how signal orthogonality and mutual inhibition frequently occur among closely related diverging systems.

【 授权许可】

Unknown