The bacterial metabolite 2-aminoacetophenone promotes association of pathogenic bacteria with flies

Stefania-Elisavet Kapsetaki, Ilias Tzelepis, Kalodoti Avgousti, Ioannis Livadaras, Nikos Garantonakis, Kyriaki Varikou and Yiorgos Apidianakis ()
Additional contact information
Stefania-Elisavet Kapsetaki: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas
Ilias Tzelepis: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas
Kalodoti Avgousti: University of Cyprus
Ioannis Livadaras: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas
Nikos Garantonakis: Institute for Olive Tree & Subtropical Plants, National Agricultural Research Foundation, Agrokipio
Kyriaki Varikou: Institute for Olive Tree & Subtropical Plants, National Agricultural Research Foundation, Agrokipio
Yiorgos Apidianakis: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Bacteria contaminate insects and secrete metabolites that may affect insect behaviour and potentially fitness through unknown mechanisms. Here we show that the ‘grape-like’ odorant 2-aminoacetophenone (2AA), secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a ubiquitous opportunistic human pathogen), facilitates attraction to food for several fly species including Musca domestica, Ceratitis capitata and Drosophila melanogaster. Constant feeding on 2AA increases the level of long-term colonization of the flies’ intestine by P. aeruginosa. Odour perception is necessary for enhanced attraction to food containing 2AA, and expression in the Drosophila olfactory organs of odorant receptors Or49b and Or10a potentiates, while expression of Or85a inhibits, preference for 2AA. Our study shows that 2AA lures the flies to the bacterial source and increases the extent of colonization of the fly intestine by the bacteria that produce it, as a means to facilitate bacterial dissemination to new locations.

Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms5401 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms5401

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5401

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().