酰基高丝氨酸内酯(AHLs)介导群感效应在好氧颗粒污泥中的研究进展

虽然好氧颗粒污泥(Aerobic Granular Sludge,AGS)具有沉降性能好、高效脱氮除磷以及抗冲击负荷等优点,但是该技术仍然存在颗粒化进程缓慢及容易解体等技术瓶颈.因此,如何克服上述瓶颈是实现好氧颗粒污泥技术在实际污水处理推广的关键.近年来,酰基高丝氨酸内酯(Acyl Homoserine Lactone...     

The role of quorum sensing signalling in EPS production and the assembly of a sludge community into aerobic granules

Quorum sensing (QS) signalling has been extensively studied in single species populations. However, the ecological role of QS in complex, multi-species communities, particularly in the context of community assembly, has neither been experimentally explored nor theoretically addressed. Here, we performed a long-term bioreactor ecology study to address the links between QS, organization and composition of complex microbial communities. The conversion of floccular biomass to highly structured granules was found to be non-random, but strongly and positively correlated with N-acyl-homoserine-lactone (AHL)-mediated QS. Specific AHLs were elevated up to 100-fold and were strongly associated with the initiation of granulation. Similarly, the levels of particular AHLs decreased markedly during the granular disintegration phase. Metadata analysis indicated that granulation was accompanied by changes in extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production and AHL add-back studies also resulted in increased EPS synthesis. In contrast to the commonly reported nanomolar to micromolar signal concentrations in pure culture laboratory systems, QS signalling in the granulation ecosystem occurred at picomolar to nanomolar concentrations of AHLs. Given that low concentrations of AHLs quantified in this study were sufficient to activate AHL bioreporters in situ in complex granular communities, AHL mediated QS may be a common feature in many natural and engineered ecosystems, where it coordinates community behaviour.     

Function of quorum sensing and cell signaling in the formation of aerobic granular sludge

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has recently attracted attention because of its excellent settling ability and treatment efficiency compared with traditional activated sludge. This review provides recent advances on the formation process of AGS and mainly analyzes the function of quorum sensing (QS) and cell signaling during AGS formation. QS and cell signaling play important roles in the formation of AGS. QS can accelerate the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and increase microbial adhesion to the surface of AGS. Cell signaling can also promote the secretion of EPS and influence biofilm formation. Cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP), as a second messenger, acts an important role in granulation. C-di-GMP causes bacteria to adhere to each other and form a biofilm. Adding Ca²⁺ benefits bacterial growth and promotes c-di-GMP secretion. Adding Mn²⁺ reduces c-di-GMP content and triggers AGS disintegration. Finally, the review discusses the possible trends of AGS: QS and cell signaling can lay a theoretical foundation for the formation mechanism of AGS and would be of practical significance for its application in the future.     

Quorum sensing disruption regulates hydrolytic enzyme and biofilm production in estuarine bacteria

Biofilms of heterotrophic bacteria cover organic matter aggregates and constitute hotspots of mineralization, primarily acting through extracellular hydrolytic enzyme production. Nevertheless, regulation of both biofilm and hydrolytic enzyme synthesis remains poorly investigated, especially in estuarine ecosystems. In this study, various bioassays, mass spectrometry and genomics approaches were combined to test the possible involvement of quorum sensing (QS) in these mechanisms. QS is a bacterial cell–cell communication system that relies notably on the emission of N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs). In our estuarine bacterial collection, we found that 28 strains (9%), mainly Vibrio, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter isolates, produced at least 14 different types of AHLs encoded by various luxI genes. We then inhibited the AHL QS circuits of those 28 strains using a broad-spectrum lactonase preparation and tested whether biofilm production as well as β-glucosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase activities were impacted. Interestingly, we recorded contrasted responses, as biofilm production, dissolved and cell-bound β-glucosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase activities significantly increased in 4%–68% of strains but decreased in 0%–21% of strains. These findings highlight the key role of AHL-based QS in estuarine bacterial physiology and ultimately on biogeochemical cycles. They also point out the complexity of QS regulations within natural microbial assemblages.     

Microbial population dynamics and proteomics in membrane bioreactors with enzymatic quorum quenching

Quorum sensing gives rise to biofilm formation on the membrane surface, which in turn causes a loss of water permeability in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for wastewater treatment. Enzymatic quorum quenching was reported to successfully inhibit the formation of biofilm in MBRs through the decomposition of signal molecules, N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of quorum quenching in more detail in terms of microbial population dynamics and proteomics. Microbial communities in MBRs with and without a quorum quenching enzyme (acylase) were analyzed using pyrosequencing and compared with each other. In the quorum quenching MBR, the rate of transmembrane pressure (TMP) rise-up was delayed substantially, and the proportion of quorum sensing bacteria with AHL-like autoinducers (such as Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter) also decreased in the entire microbial community of mature biofilm in comparison to that in the control MBR. These factors were attributed to the lower production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which are known to play a key role in the formation of biofilm. Proteomic analysis using the Enterobacter cancerogenus strain ATCC 35316 demonstrates the possible depression of protein expression related to microbial attachments to solid surfaces (outer membrane protein, flagellin) and the agglomeration of microorganisms (ATP synthase beta subunit) with the enzymatic quorum quenching. It has been argued that changes in the microbial population, EPS and proteins via enzymatic quorum quenching could inhibit the formation of biofilm, resulting in less biofouling in the quorum quenching MBR.     

AHL类似物作为细菌群体感应系统促进剂的研究进展

应用N-酰基高丝氨酸内酯（N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones，AHL）介导的群体感应（quorum sensing，QS）系统调控生物膜形成和次级代谢物合成具有巨大的商业价值，但自然界中许多微生物能够产生群体淬灭（Quorum Quenching，QQ）酶，QQ酶能够降解天然AHL信号分子，使外源天然 AHL 信号分子的半衰期缩短，限制了天然AHL 信号分子的应用范围。化学合成的AHL类似物作为QS促进剂，通过与天然信号分子类似的结合方式形成转录二聚体，激活下游基因表达，但与天然AHL信号分子相比，化学合成的QS促进剂具有活性高、半衰期长等优点。本文综述了化学合成AHL类似物的设计思路、种类、作用机制及其在提高次级代谢物产量和生物浸矿方面的应用，并讨论了QS促进剂今后主要的研究方向，以期为QS促进剂的合成设计和实际应用提供参考。     

The quorum-sensing effect of aerobic granules on bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and sludge granulation

Quorum sensing (QS) through signal chemical molecules is known to be essential to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. In this study, the QS ability of aerobic granules—a special form of biofilms used for biological wastewater treatment—was investigated and compared with that of conventional activated sludge flocs. A novel sectional membrane bioreactor was used together with a flow-cell to evaluate the possible influence of signal chemicals produced by the source sludge on the growth mode of bacterial cells. The results demonstrate the apparent production of QS chemicals from granules and its impact on initial cell attachment and granule formation. When granules were used as the signal-producing biomass, the attached-growth mode was dominant for the free cells, and the biofilm formation rate in the flow-cell was about ten times faster than in cases which used activated sludge as the signal source biomass. In addition, the intracellular extract from mature granules significantly accelerated the sludge granulation process. It is argued that the production and expression of QS signal chemicals from granules and granule precursors might have induced the gene expression of bacteria in suspension for attached growth rather than suspended growth, leading to granule formation and its stable structure.     

Two dissimilar N-acyl-homoserine lactone acylases of Pseudomonas syringae influence colony and biofilm morphology

Plant aerial surfaces comprise a complex habitat for microorganisms, and many plant-associated bacteria, such as the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, exhibit density-dependent survival on leaves by utilizing quorum sensing (QS). QS is often mediated by diffusible signals called N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), and P. syringae utilizes N-3-oxo-hexanoyl-dl-homoserine lactone (3OC6HSL) to control traits influencing epiphytic fitness and virulence. The P. syringae pathovar syringae B728a genome sequence revealed two putative AHL acylases, termed HacA (Psyr_1971) and HacB (Psyr_4858), which are N-terminal nucleophile hydrolases that inactivate AHLs by cleaving their amide bonds. HacA is a secreted AHL acylase that degrades only long-chain (C > or = 8) AHLs, while HacB is not secreted and degrades all tested AHLs. Targeted disruptions of hacA, hacB, and hacA and hacB together do not alter endogenous 3OC6HSL levels under the tested conditions. Surprisingly, targeted disruptions of hacA alone and hacA and hacB together confer complementable phenotypes that are very similar to autoaggregative phenotypes seen in other species. While AHL acylases might enable P. syringae B728a to degrade signals of competing species and block expression of their QS-dependent traits, these enzymes also play fundamental roles in biofilm formation.     

PpoR is a conserved unpaired LuxR solo of Pseudomonas putida which binds N-acyl homoserine lactones

Background  

Only a small number of Pseudomonas putida strains possess the typical N-acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing system (AHL QS) that consists of a modular LuxR family protein and its cognate LuxI homolog that produces the AHL signal. Moreover, AHL QS systems in P. putida strains are diverse in the type of AHLs they produce and the phenotypes that they regulate.     

Quorum sensing: an emerging link between temperature and membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactors

Lab-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) were investigated at 12, 18, and 25?°C to identify the correlation between quorum sensing (QS) and biofouling at different temperatures. The lower the reactor temperature, the more severe the membrane biofouling measured in terms of the transmembrane pressure (TMP) during filtration. More extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) that cause biofouling were produced at 18?°C than at 25?°C, particularly polysaccharides, closely associated with QS via the production of N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL). However, at 12?°C, AHL production decreased, but the release of EPSs due to deflocculation increased the soluble EPS concentration. To confirm the temperature effect related to QS, bacteria producing AHL were isolated from MBR sludge and identified as Aeromonas sp., Leclercia sp., and Enterobacter sp. through a 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. Batch assays at 18 and 25?°C showed that there was a positive correlation between QS through AHL and biofilm formation in that temperature range.     

Heterologous overexpression of quorum-sensing regulators to study cell-density-dependent phenotypes in a symbiotic plant bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mesorhizobium huakuii</Emphasis>

Quorum-sensing is widespread among many prokaryotic lineages. In order to investigate quorum regulation in the plant bacterium Mesorhizobium huakuii which produces an N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum signal, the Agrobacterium quorum-sensing regulator TraR was heterologously expressed in this bacterium. The resulting strains showed reduced AHL production in the supernatant compared to wild-type, but similar intracellular levels of AHLs were detected, suggesting that M. huakuii AHLs can be bound to intracellular TraR proteins and thus become unavailable for its own quorum systems. M. huakuii overexpressing TraR formed thinner biofilms than the wild-type, suggesting a role played by quorum-sensing in biofilm formation.Hui Wang and Zengtao Zhong contributed equally to this work.     

Acyl-homoserine lactones modulate the settlement rate of zoospores of the marine alga Ulva intestinalis via a novel chemokinetic mechanism

Bacteria utilize quorum sensing to regulate the expression of cell density-dependant phenotypes such as biofilm formation and virulence. Zoospores of the marine alga Ulva intestinalis exploit the acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum sensing system to identify bacterial biofilms for preferential settlement. Here, we demonstrate that AHLs act as strong chemoattractants for Ulva zoospores. Chemoattraction does not involve a chemotactic orientation towards the AHL source. Instead, it occurs through a chemokinesis in which zoospore swimming speed is rapidly decreased in the presence of AHLs. The chemoresponse to AHLs was dependant on the nature of the acyl side chain, with N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-homoserine lactone (30-C12-HSL) being the most effective signal molecule. Mean zoospore swimming speed decreased more rapidly over wild-type biofilms of the marine bacteria Vibrio anguillarum relative to biofilms of the vanM mutant, in which AHL synthesis is disrupted. These data implicate a role for AHL-mediated chemokinesis in the location and preferential settlement of Ulva zoospores on marine bacterial assemblages. Exposure to AHLs did not inhibit the negative phototaxis of Ulva zoospores, indicating that chemoattraction to bacterial biofilms does not preclude the response to a light stimulus in substrate location.     

Identification and characterization of N-acylhomoserine lactone-acylase from the fish intestinal Shewanella sp. strain MIB015

N-Acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) are used as quorum-sensing signal molecules by many gram-negative bacteria. We have reported that Shewanella sp. strain MIB015 degrades AHLs. In the present study, we cloned the aac gene from MIB015 by PCR with specific primers based on the aac gene in Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1, which showed high homology with the known AHL-acylases. Escherichia coli expressing Aac showed high degrading activity of AHLs with long acyl chains. HPLC analysis revealed that Aac worked as AHL-acylase, which hydrolyzed the amide bond of AHL. In addition, expression of Aac in fish pathogen Vibrio anguillarum markedly reduced AHL production and biofilm formation. In conclusion, this study indicates that Aac might be effective in quenching quorum sensing of fish pathogens.     

Contribution of quorum‐sensing system to hexadecane degradation and biofilm formation in Acinetobacter sp. strain DR1

Aims: To investigate roles of quorum‐sensing (QS) system in Acinetobacter sp. strain DR1 and rifampicin‐resistant variant (hereinafter DR1R). Methods and Results: The DR1 strain generated three putative acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), while the DR1R produced only one signal and QS signal production was abrogated in the aqsI (LuxI homolog) mutant. The hexadecane‐degradation and biofilm‐formation capabilities of DR1, DR1R, and aqsI mutants were compared, along with their proteomic data. Proteomics analysis revealed that the AHL lactonase responsible for degrading QS signal was highly upregulated in both DR1R and aqsI mutant, also showed that several proteins, including ppGpp synthase, histidine kinase sensors, might be under the control of QS signalling. Interestingly, biofilm‐formation and hexadecane‐biodegradation abilities were reduced more profoundly in the aqsI mutant. These altered phenotypes of the aqsI mutant were restored via the addition of free wild‐type cell supernatant and exogenous C₁₂‐AHL. Conclusions: The QS system in strain DR1 contributes to hexadecane degradation and biofilm formation. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first report to demonstrate that a specific QS signal appears to be a critical factor for hexadecane degradation and biofilm formation in Acinetobacter sp. strain DR1.     

Biofilm formation and cell-to-cell signalling in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from a food processing environment

AIMS: To investigate the biofilm-forming capacity and the production of quorum signals in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from a food production environment, and the possible correlation between both phenotypes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty-eight Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from equipment and working surfaces in a raw vegetable processing line, and tested for biofilm-forming capacity using an in vitro microplate assay. All isolates showed significantly higher biofilm-forming capacity than Escherichia coli laboratory strain DH5alpha, which was included as a negative control, and differed up to 56-fold in relative biofilm-forming capacity. Various assays based on reporter bacteria were used to detect quorum signals produced by the isolates. Twenty-six isolates produced autoinducer-2, five isolates produced N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), and none produced the Pseudomonas quinolone signal. CONCLUSIONS: No correlation was found between in vitro biofilm-forming capacity and production of quorum signalling molecules among the 68 strains isolated from the raw vegetable processing line. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Several recent studies have shown a role of AHL-based quorum sensing in biofilm formation of specific Gram-negative bacterial strains. The current work shows that production of AHL and other quorum signals is not widespread in Gram-negative isolates from a raw vegetable processing line, and is not a general requirement for biofilm formation, at least in vitro.     

Quorum quenching activity in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120: identification of AiiC, a novel AHL-acylase

Many bacteria use quorum sensing (QS) to coordinate responses to environmental changes. In Gram-negative bacteria, the most extensively studied QS systems rely on the use of N -acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) signal molecules. Some bacteria produce enzymes that are able to inactivate AHL signals produced by other bacteria and hence interfere with QS-mediated processes via a phenomenon known as quorum quenching. Acylase-type AHL degradation activity has been found in the biomass of the filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena ( Nostoc ) sp. PCC 7120, being absent from the culture media. The gene all3924 has been identified and cloned whose product exhibits homology to the acylase QuiP of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, demonstrating that it is at least partially responsible for the AHL-acylase activity. The recombinant enzyme, which was named auto-inducer inhibitor from Cyanobacteria (AiiC), shows broad acyl-chain length specificity. Because the presence of AHLs in the biomass of nitrogen-fixing cultures of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 has been described recently, AiiC could represent a self-modulatory system to control the response to its own QS signals but could also be involved in the interference of signalling within complex microbial communities in which Cyanobacteria are present.     

Acyl-homoserine lactone acylase from Ralstonia strain XJ12B represents a novel and potent class of quorum-quenching enzymes

N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) are used as signal molecules by many quorum-sensing Proteobacteria. Diverse plant and animal pathogens use AHLs to regulate infection and virulence functions. These signals are subject to biological inactivation by AHL-lactonases and AHL-acylases. Previously, little was known about the molecular details underlying the latter mechanism. An AHL signal-inactivating bacterium, identified as a Ralstonia sp., was isolated from a mixed-species biofilm. The signal inactivation encoding gene from this organism, which we call aiiD, was cloned and successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and inactivated three AHLs tested. The predicted 794-amino-acid polypeptide was most similar to the aculeacin A acylase (AAC) from Actinoplanes utahensis and also shared significant similarities with cephalosporin acylases and other N-terminal (Ntn) hydrolases. However, the most similar homologues of AiiD are deduced proteins of undemonstrated function from available Ralstonia, Deinococcus and Pseudomonas genomes. LC-MS analyses demonstrated that AiiD hydrolyses the AHL amide, releasing homoserine lactone and the corresponding fatty acid. Expression of AiiD in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 quenched quorum sensing by this bacterium, decreasing its ability to swarm, produce elastase and pyocyanin and to paralyze nematodes. Thus, AHL-acylases have fundamental implications and hold biotechnological promise in quenching quorum sensing.     

酰基高丝氨酸内脂合成酶LasI对禽致病性大肠杆菌生物学特性的影响

【背景】禽致病性大肠杆菌(Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli, APEC)是禽类主要病原菌之一,群体感应(Quorumsensing,QS)系统可通过信号分子调控其生物学特性。在APEC中信号分子AHL对其生物学特性的影响目前尚不清楚。【目的】研究信号分子AHL对APEC生物学特性的影响。【方法】将含铜绿假单胞菌酰基高丝氨酸内脂合成酶(Acyl-homoserine-lactone synthase,lasI)基因的表达质粒转化至APEC菌株DE17中,构建重组菌株DE17-lasI,利用LasI在DE17中合成AHL。比较野生株和重组菌株产生AHL信号分子、生长特性、生物被膜形成能力、运动性以及耐药性等生物学特性的差异;运用Real-timePCR技术,比较野生株和重组菌株中与生物被膜形成、运动性以及毒力因子相关基因的转录水平。【结果】对重组菌株AHL信号分子检测表明,DE17-lasI能够产生AHL信号分子,与野生株DE17相比,DE17-lasI生物被膜形成能力和运动性显著降低(P0.01),但其生长特性和耐药性无显著变化(P0.05);Real-time PCR检测结果表明,重组菌株的毒力因子fimH转录水平上调了58.8倍,而ompA、iss分别下调了95.4%、77.3%。与生物被膜形成相关基因agn43下调了75%,鞭毛合成基因flhA下调了80.8%。此外,AHL受体sdiA的转录水平上调了19.8倍。【结论】转化lasI至APEC中,能促进其在APEC中合成信号分子AHL,并显著影响APEC的部分生物学特性,为进一步探讨AHL型群体感应系统对APEC的调控作用提供参考。