A new class of homoserine lactone quorum-sensing signals

Amy L. Schaefer, E. P. Greenberg, Colin M. Oliver, Yasuhiro Oda, Jean J. Huang, Gili Bittan-Banin, Caroline M. Peres, Silke Schmidt, Katarina Juhaszova, Janice R. Sufrin and Caroline S. Harwood ()
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Amy L. Schaefer: University of Washington
E. P. Greenberg: University of Washington
Colin M. Oliver: Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Therapeutics Program, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA
Yasuhiro Oda: University of Washington
Jean J. Huang: University of Washington
Gili Bittan-Banin: University of Washington
Caroline M. Peres: Danisco Genencor, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA
Silke Schmidt: Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Frankfurt
Katarina Juhaszova: University of Washington
Janice R. Sufrin: Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Therapeutics Program, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA
Caroline S. Harwood: University of Washington

Nature, 2008, vol. 454, issue 7204, 595-599

Abstract: Abstract Quorum sensing is a term used to describe cell-to-cell communication that allows cell-density-dependent gene expression. Many bacteria use acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) synthases to generate fatty acyl-HSL quorum-sensing signals, which function with signal receptors to control expression of specific genes. The fatty acyl group is derived from fatty acid biosynthesis and provides signal specificity, but the variety of signals is limited. Here we show that the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris uses an acyl-HSL synthase to produce p-coumaroyl-HSL by using environmental p-coumaric acid rather than fatty acids from cellular pools. The bacterium has a signal receptor with homology to fatty acyl-HSL receptors that responds to p-coumaroyl-HSL to regulate global gene expression. We also found that p-coumaroyl-HSL is made by other bacteria including Bradyrhizobium sp. and Silicibacter pomeroyi. This discovery extends the range of possibilities for acyl-HSL quorum sensing and raises fundamental questions about quorum sensing within the context of environmental signalling.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07088

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