铜绿假单胞菌群体感应系统的研究进展

细菌的群体感应也称自身诱导,是指细菌通过产生和感应信号分子浓度的变化来监测其群体密度,协调群体行为的过程.自身诱导物随着细菌密度增高而增高,当自身诱导物达到某一阈值后,会与一些转录调节子结合,从而诱导或抑制多种基因的表达.群体感应系统内由多种信号分子和效应蛋白组成复杂的调节网络,调控包括细菌毒力因子产生与释放、生物膜形成、接合反应等,从而影响细菌的致病过程.本文主要对铜绿假单胞菌的群体感应系统及其与宿主关系、群体感应抑制剂等方面的研究进展进行综述.     

细菌群体感应及其干扰策略的研究进展

群体感应（QS）广泛存在于细菌中,是细菌根据细胞密度变化调控基因表达的一种机制。许多植物病原菌依赖QS调控致病基因和毒性因子的表达,导致植物发病,因此通过抑制QS效应就为控制细菌病害提供了一种有效的方法。目前发现许多途径可以干扰细菌的QS,如：产生可使信号分子降解的酶,产生病原菌信号分子的类似物与信号分子受体蛋白竞争结合来阻断病原菌的群体感应,利用QS中信号分子来诱发寄主抗性。系统阐述了细菌QS及其干扰策略。     

根瘤菌与群体感应

细菌在高细胞密度下可以产生群体感应信号分子,调控细菌相关基因的表达,这种信号分子被称为自体诱导物。酰基高丝氨酸内酯类化合物(acyl-HSLs)是在根瘤菌中广泛存在的一类自体诱导物,该群体感应系统与根瘤菌和植物的共生作用密切相关。本文概述了AHLs介导的群体感应系统的组成及调控机制和不同根瘤菌中群体感应调节对根瘤菌生理行为及共生固氮的影响。     

废水处理中群体感应调控行为研究进展

群体感应是微生物在繁殖过程中分泌一些特定的信号分子,当信号分子浓度达到一定阈值后,可以调控某些基因表达,从而实现信息交流的现象.群体感应调控着生物膜形成、公共物质合成、基因水平转移等一系列社会性行为,广泛存在于各类微生物信息交流中.活性污泥、生物膜和颗粒污泥等生物聚集体广泛存在群体感应现象,了解和认识群体感应与微生物之间的调控行为,对于废水处理具有重要意义.本文综述了感应信号分子的分类、群体感应调控机制,群体感应在活性污泥、生物膜、好氧颗粒污泥和厌氧颗粒污泥等废水处理中的调控行为的研究进展,并对废水处理中群体感应的研究进行了展望,以期为深入理解废水处理中群体感应调控行为提供参考.     

细菌群体感应淬灭酶及其病害防治研究进展

微生物细胞间通过信号分子进行信息交流的现象即群体感应(Quorum sensing,QS),QS广泛存在于微生物群体中,且可以调控特定基因尤其是很多致病基因的表达。群体感应淬灭(Quorum quenching,QQ)是基于群体感应现象提出的新型病害防治策略,即通过抑制信号分子的合成、监测或对信号分子进行酶降解、修饰的途径来干扰群体感应以达到防治病害的目的。利用群体感应淬灭酶(Quorum quenching enzymes)降解微生物信号分子,是目前毒性最小、最为有效的群体感应淬灭途径。迄今为止,多种细菌信号分子的群体感应淬灭酶都已有报道,其中,酰基高丝氨酸内酯(N-acyl homoserine lactones,AHLs)和顺-11-甲基-2-癸烯酸(cis-11-Methyl-2-dodecenoic acid)群体感应淬灭酶研究最为深入。综述并分析了群体感应淬灭酶及其病害防治的研究现状、存在的问题和未来研究方向,为今后发展新型绿色安全病害防控措施提供关键理论和技术支撑。     

真菌中的群体感应系统

以胞间通讯信号分子介导的细菌群体感应参与细菌多种生理功能的调控是非常普遍的。近年的研究表明,真菌中也存在类似于细菌群体感应信号分子的调节分子,并且介导着真菌某些生理行为的调节。这一过程也称为真菌的群体感应系统。文中简要介绍真菌群体感应系统的研究进展,并讨论了真菌群体感应系统作为抗真菌感染靶点的可能性。     

群体感应抑制剂的筛选及其在微生物病害防治中的应用

在绝大多数病原菌中都发现有群体感应机制存在,用于调控侵染过程中微生物致病基因的表达。群体感应抑制剂处理既能控制微生物致病毒性,又不影响细胞生长,因此不会导致抗性株的形成,是一种理想的抗病原性药物。本文重点探讨了群体感应抑制剂的筛选、种类以及在群体感应过程中的作用机理和潜在应用价值。     

细菌群体感应及其在病原菌防治中的应用

细菌分泌一种或多种化学信号分子,这些化学信号分子作为诱导因子感知和判断菌群密度和周围环境的变化。当菌群达到一定阈值时会启动一系列相关基因的表达以调控菌体的群体行为,细菌的这种生理行为称为群体感应。大量的研究表明,不同类型的细菌具有不同的群体感应系统。群体感应机制广泛存在于病原菌中,并与其侵染过程、毒力基因表达及致病性密切相关。利用这种群体感应机制作为靶点进行病原菌的防治是医学领域广泛关注的问题。在此就细菌群体感应及其在病原菌防治中的应用进行阐述。     

群体感应系统介导细菌生物膜形成的研究进展

群体感应(QS)是微生物之间的通讯机制,通过信号分子调控基因表达,这种交流可使细菌表达不同的生理行为,包括病原微生物的毒性、对抗生素的形成、生物膜的形成与生长等。生物膜的形成对微生物的代谢、毒力因子的表达等密切相关。群体感应现象与生物膜的形成相互依赖,生物膜提供菌体聚集场所,避免群体感应信号分子的扩散,聚集菌体的群体感应现象为生物膜的形成提供基础。群体感应系统不仅可直接介导细菌生物膜的形成,还可调节胞内第二信使分子水平,间接调控生物膜的生成。本文中,笔者从直接和协同其他信号分子两方面对细菌生物膜形成机制研究进展进行综述,为在工业应用中降低细菌耐药性、指导食品生产安全、提高功能性生物膜产量等方面提供理论依据。     

细菌群体感应淬灭酶的研究进展

细菌的群体感应系统（Quorum sensing,QS）参与许多生物学功能的调控,其中包括动植物病原细菌致病因子的生成以及人类某些病原细菌生物膜的形成。酰基高丝氨酸内酯（N—acylhomoserine laetone,AHL）是调控群体感应系统的关键信号分子。近年的研究表明,不同生物体包括细菌和真核生物中都存在类别不同的能够降解AHL的群体感应淬灭酶（Quorum—quenching enzyme）。在AHL依赖型致病菌和转基因植物中表达AHL降解酶能有效地抑制QS信号分子的积累,从而阻断了病原细菌的发病机制,提高了植物的抗病性。这些新颖的群体感应淬灭酶的发现,不仅为防治细菌侵染提供了可行的途径,也对研究它们在宿主中的功能和对生态系统的潜在影响提出挑战。     

Quorum sensing and signal interference: diverse implications

Quorum sensing (QS) is a community genetic regulation mechanism that controls microbiological functions of medical, agricultural and industrial importance. Discovery of microbial QS signals and the signalling mechanisms led to identification of numerous enzymatic and non-enzymatic signal interference mechanisms that quench microbial QS signalling. Evidence is accumulating that such signal interference mechanisms can be developed as promising approaches to control microbial infection and biofilm formation. In addition, these mechanisms exist not only in microorganisms but also in the host organisms of bacterial pathogens, highlighting their potential implications in microbial ecology and in host-pathogen interactions. Investigation of QS and signal interference mechanisms might significantly broaden the scope of research in microbiology.     

微生物群体效应信号分子研究进展

微生物细胞通过分泌可溶性小分子控制群体行为,获得生存优势的行为称为群体效应（Quorum sensing）。单细胞微生物利用群体效应获得多细胞生物的功能,从而提高自身在环境中的竞争力。信号分子是微生物发挥群体效应、进行信息交流的关键因子。信号分子普遍存在于各类微生物群体中,其结构、性质与功能存在巨大的种属差异,对信号分子进行全面的研究将有助于更加深入地了解和利用微生物群体效应。本文主要对群体效应信号分子在种类、结构、来源以及功能等方面的研究进展进行介绍。     

Opportunistic bacteria use quorum sensing to disturb coral symbiotic communities and mediate the occurrence of coral bleaching

Coral associated microorganisms, especially some opportunistic pathogens can utilize quorum-sensing (QS) signals to affect population structure and host health. However, direct evidence about the link between coral bleaching and dysbiotic microbiomes under QS regulation was lacking. Here, using 11 opportunistic bacteria and their QS products (AHLs, acyl-homoserine-lactones), we exposed Pocillopora damicornis to three different treatments: test groups (A and B: mixture of AHLs-producing bacteria and cocktail of AHLs signals respectively); control groups (C and D: group A and B with furanone added respectively); and a blank control (group E: only seawater) for 21 days. The results showed that remarkable bleaching phenomenon was observed in groups A and B. The operational taxonomic units-sequencing analysis shown that the bacterial network interactions and communities composition were significantly changed, becoming especially enhanced in the relative abundances of Vibrio, Edwardsiella, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas. Interestingly, the control groups (C and D) were found to have a limited influence upon host microbial composition and reduced bleaching susceptibility of P. damicornis. These results indicate bleaching's initiation and progression may be caused by opportunistic bacteria of resident microbes in a process under regulation by AHLs. These findings add a new dimension to our understanding of the complexity of bleaching mechanisms from a chemoecological perspective.     

An EAL domain protein and cyclic AMP contribute to the interaction between the two quorum sensing systems in Escherichia coli

Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial cell-cell communication process by which bacteria communicate using extracellular signals called autoinducers. Two QS systems have been identified in Escherichia coli K-12, including an intact QS system 2 that is stimulated by the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-cAMP receptor protein (CRP) complex and a partial QS system 1 that consists of SdiA (suppressor of cell division inhibitor) responding to signals generated by other microbial species. The relationship between QS system 1 and system 2 in E. coli, however, remains obscure. Here, we show that an EAL domain protein, encoded by ydiV, and cAMP are involved in the interaction between the two QS systems in E. coli. Expression of sdiA and ydiV is inhibited by glucose. SdiA binds to the ydiV promoter region in a dose-dependent, but nonspecific, manner; extracellular autoinducer 1 from other species stimulates ydiV expression in an sdiA-dependent manner. Furthermore, we discovered that the double sdiA-ydiV mutation, but not the single mutation, causes a 2-fold decrease in intracellular cAMP concentration that leads to the inhibition of QS system 2. These results indicate that signaling pathways that respond to important environmental cues, such as autoinducers and glucose, are linked together for their control in E. coli.     

Shoot the messages not the messengers

Microbes use quorum sensing (QS) as a mechanism to regulate host colonization and virulence in the rhizosphere. Various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria engage in quorum sensing as a mode of communication to inflict pathogenicity on hosts. Of late, the use of various microbial biocontrol agents to restrict pathogenic fungi and bacteria has gained some pace. Although, not much is known about direct antagonistic mechanisms adapted by various biocontrol agents on pathogens, it still represents a sustainable technique to control pathogenesis. Crépin et al. (2012) in this issue of Plant Soil address, for the first time, the question of regulating quorum sensing (QS) by quorum-quenching (QQ) techniques. Crépin et al. show that a rhizosphere bacteria Rhodococcus erythropolis catabolizes the N-acylhomoserine lactones (N-AHLs) produced by Pectobacterium atrosepticum, thus attenuating its virulence. Their experimental results strongly support the involvement of inter-bacterial communication in the rhizosphere. This knowledge is of crucial importance for putting into practice sustainable disease-protection strategies for biocontrol technologies.     

Quorum sensing signals are produced by Aeromonas salmonicida and quorum sensing inhibitors can reduce production of a potential virulence factor

Many pathogens control production of virulence factors by self-produced signals in a process called quorum sensing (QS). We demonstrate that acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signals, which enable bacteria to express certain phenotypes in relation to cell density, are produced by a wide spectrum of Aeromonas salmonicida strains. All 31 typical strains were AHL producers as were 21 of 26 atypical strains, but on a strain population basis, production of virulence factors such as protease, lipase, A-layer or pigment did not correlate with the production and accumulation of AHLs in the growth medium. Pigment production was only observed in broth under highly aerated conditions. Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) are compounds that specifically block QS systems without affecting bacterial growth and 2 such compounds, sulphur-containing AHL-analogues, reduced production of protease in a typical strain of Aeromonas salmonicida. The most efficient compound N-(heptylsulfanylacetyl)-L-homoserine lactone (HepS-AHL), reduced protease production by a factor of 10. Five extracellular proteases were detected on gelatin-containing sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gels and 3 of these were completely down regulated by HepS-AHL. Hence, QSIs can curb virulence in some strains and could potentially be pursued as bacterial disease control measures in aquaculture.     

Bacterial quorum sensing in symbiotic and pathogenic relationships with hosts*

Gram-negative bacteria communicate with each other by producing and sensing diffusible signaling molecules. This mechanism is called quorum sensing (QS) and regulates many bacterial activities from gene expression to symbiotic/pathogenic interactions with hosts. Therefore, the elucidation and control of bacterial QS systems have been attracted increasing attention over the past two decades. The most common QS signals in Gram-negative bacteria are N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). There are also bacteria that employ different QS systems, for example, the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum utilizes 3-hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters as its QS signals. The QS system found in the endosymbiotic bacterium associated with the fungus Mortierella alpina, the development of an affinity pull-down method for AHL synthases, and the elucidation of a unique QS circuit in R. solanacearum are discussed herein.     

Population level virulence in polymicrobial communities associated with chronic disease

Renewed studies of chronic infection have shifted the focus from single pathogens to multi-microbial communities as culture-independent techniques reveal complex consortia of microbes associated with c...