Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.3.1.184 (LasR)
 897 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Purification of proteins from Escherichia coli under native conditions is often hampered by inclusion-body formation after overexpression from T7 promoter-based expression vectors. This is probably due to the relatively high copy number of the ColE1-based expression vectors. To circumvent these problems, the low-copy-number pViet and pNam expression vectors were constructed. These vectors contain the pSC101 origin of replication and allow the expression of oligohistidine and intein chitin-binding domain fusion proteins, respectively. Since pViet and pNam do not replicate in E. coli B strains, an E. coli K-12 host strain [SA1503(DE3)] was constructed. This strain is defective in the Lon and OmpT proteases and allows IPTG-inducible expression of recombinant proteins from the T7 promoter. The new vectors were successfully tested by purification of three very insoluble proteins (RmlD, LasI and RhlI) under non-denaturing conditions, and all three proteins retained enzymatic activity. The purified hexahistidine (His6)-tagged Pseudomonas aeruginosa RhlI protein was subjected to more detailed analyses, which indicated that (1) only butyryl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) were required for synthesis of N-butyryl-L-homoserine lactone; (2) when present at physiological concentrations, butyryl-coenzyme A and NADPH were not substrates for RhlI; (3) RhlI was able to synthesize N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone from hexanoyl-ACP and SAM; (4) RhlI was able to direct synthesis of N-butyryl-L-homoserine lactone from crotonyl-ACP in a reaction coupled to purified P. aeruginosa FabI (enoyl-ACP reductase).
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PMID:Construction and use of low-copy number T7 expression vectors for purification of problem proteins: purification of mycobacterium tuberculosis RmlD and pseudomonas aeruginosa LasI and RhlI proteins, and functional analysis of purified RhlI. 1052 60

Quorum sensing (QS) governs the production of virulence factors and the architecture and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) resistance of biofilm-grown Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa QS requires two transcriptional activator proteins known as LasR and RhlR and their cognate autoinducers PAI-1 (N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone) and PAI-2 (N-butyryl-L-homoserine lactone) respectively. This study provides evidence of QS control of genes essential for relieving oxidative stress. Mutants devoid of one or both autoinducers were more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide and phenazine methosulphate, and some PAI mutant strains also demonstrated decreased expression of two superoxide dismutases (SODs), Mn-SOD and Fe-SOD, and the major catalase, KatA. The expression of sodA (encoding Mn-SOD) was particularly dependent on PAI-1, whereas the influence of autoinducers on Fe-SOD and KatA levels was also apparent but not to the degree observed with Mn-SOD. beta-Galactosidase reporter fusion results were in agreement with these findings. Also, the addition of both PAIs to suspensions of the PAI-1/2-deficient double mutant partially restored KatA activity, while the addition of PAI-1 only was sufficient for full restoration of Mn-SOD activity. In biofilm studies, catalase activity in wild-type bacteria was significantly reduced relative to planktonic bacteria; catalase activity in the PAI mutants was reduced even further and consistent with relative differences observed between each strain grown planktonically. While wild-type and mutant biofilms contained less catalase activity, they were more resistant to hydrogen peroxide treatment than their respective planktonic counterparts. Also, while catalase was implicated as an important factor in biofilm resistance to hydrogen peroxide insult, other unknown factors seemed potentially important, as PAI mutant biofilm sensitivity appeared not to be incrementally correlated to catalase levels.
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PMID:Quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa controls expression of catalase and superoxide dismutase genes and mediates biofilm susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide. 1059 32

The view of bacteria as unicellular organisms has strong roots in the tradition of culturing bacteria in liquid media. However, in nature microbial activity is mainly associated with surfaces where bacteria form highly structured and cooperative consortia which are commonly referred to as biofilms. The ability of bacteria to organize structurally and to distribute metabolic activities between the different members of the consortium demands a high degree of coordinated cell-cell interaction. Recent work has established that many bacteria employ sophisticated intercellular communication systems that rely on small signal molecules to control the expression of multiple target genes. In Gram-negative bacteria, the most intensively investigated signal molecules are N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are utilized by the bacteria to monitor their own population densities in a process known as 'quorum sensing'. These density-dependent regulatory systems rely on two proteins, an AHL synthase, usually a member of the LuxI family of proteins, and an AHL receptor protein belonging to the LuxR family of transcriptional regulators. At low population densities cells produce a basal level of AHL via the activity of an AHL synthase. As the cell density increases, AHL accumulates in the growth medium. On reaching a critical threshold concentration, the AHL molecule binds to its cognate receptor which in turn leads to the induction/repression of AHL-regulated genes. To date, AHL-dependent quorum sensing circuits have been identified in a wide range of gram-negative bacteria where they regulate various functions including bioluminescence, plasmid conjugal transfer, biofilm formation, motility, antibiotic biosynthesis, and the production of virulence factors in plant and animal pathogens. Moreover, AHL signal molecules appear to play important roles in the ecology of complex consortia as they allow bacterial populations to interact with each other as well as with their eukaryotic hosts.
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PMID:N-acyl homoserinelactone-mediated gene regulation in gram-negative bacteria. 1079 36

Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 produces the carbapenem antibiotic, carbapen-2-em-3-carboxylic acid and the red pigment, prodigiosin. We have previously reported the characterization of a gene, carR, controlling production of carbapenem in this strain. We now describe further characterization of the carR locus to locate the genes encoding carbapenem biosynthetic and resistance functions. A novel family of diverse proteins showing sequence similarity to the C-terminal domain of CarF (required for carbapenem resistance) is described. We also report the isolation of the locus involved in the biosynthesis of the red pigment, prodigiosin. A cosmid containing approximately 35 kb of the Serratia chromosome encodes synthesis of the pigment in the heterologous host, Erwinia carotovora, demonstrating, for the first time, that the complete prodigiosin biosynthetic gene cluster had been cloned and functionally expressed. We report the isolation of a third locus in Serratia, containing convergently transcribed genes, smaI and smaR, encoding LuxI and LuxR homologues respectively. SmaI directs the synthesis of N-acyl homoserine lactones involved in the quorum sensing process. We demonstrate that biosynthesis of the two secondary metabolites, carbapenem antibiotic and prodigiosin pigment, is under pheromone-mediated transcriptional regulation in this bacterium. Finally, we describe a new prodigiosin-based bioassay for detection of some N-acyl homoserine lactones.
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PMID:Biosynthesis of carbapenem antibiotic and prodigiosin pigment in Serratia is under quorum sensing control. 1084 45

Luminescence in Vibrio fischeri is controlled by a population density-responsive regulatory mechanism called quorum sensing. Elements of the mechanism include: LuxI, an acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) synthase that directs synthesis of the diffusible signal molecule, 3-oxo-hexanoyl-HSL (V. fischeri autoinducer-1, VAI-1); LuxR, a transcriptional activator protein necessary for response to VAI-1; GroEL, which is necessary for production of active LuxR; and AinS, an acyl-HSL synthase that catalyzes the synthesis of octanoyl-HSL (VAI-2). The population density-dependent accumulation of VAI-1 triggers induction of lux operon (luxICDABEG; genes for luminescence enzymes and for LuxI) transcription and luminescence by binding to LuxR, forming a complex that facilitates the association of RNA polymerase with the luxoperon promoter. VAI-2, which apparently interferes with VAI-1 binding to LuxR, operates to limit premature luxoperon induction. Hierarchical control is imposed on the system by 3':5'-cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cAMP receptor protein (CRP), which are necessary for activated expression of luxR. Several non-lux genes in V. fischeri are controlled by LuxR and VAI-1. Quorum regulation in V. fischeri serves as a model for LuxI/LuxR-type quorum sensing systems in other gram-negative bacteria.
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PMID:Quorum regulation of luminescence in Vibrio fischeri. 1094 79

Several different species of Pseudomonas: produce N:-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs), quorum-sensing signal molecules which are involved in the cell-density-dependent control of secondary metabolite and virulence gene expression. When Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 was cross-streaked against AHL biosensors capable of sensitively detecting either short (C(4)-C(8)) or long (C(10)-C(14)) acyl chain AHLs, no activity was detectable. However, by extracting cell-free stationary-phase culture supernatants with dichloromethane followed by reverse-phase HPLC, three distinct fractions were obtained capable of activating the AHL biosensors. Three AHLs were subsequently characterized using high-resolution MS and chemical synthesis. These were (i) N:-(3-hydroxy-7-cis-tetradecenoyl)homoserine lactone (3OH, C(14:1)-HSL), a molecule previously known as the Rhizobium leguminosarum small bacteriocin as a consequence of its growth inhibitory properties, (ii) N:-decanoylhomoserine lactone (C(10)-HSL) and (iii) N:-hexanoylhomoserine lactone (C(6)-HSL). A gene (hdtS) capable of directing synthesis of all three P. fluorescens AHLs in Escherichia coli was cloned and sequenced. In vitro transcription/translation of hdtS yielded a protein of approximately 33 kDa capable of directing the synthesis of 3OH, C(14:1)-HSL, C(10)-HSL and C(6)-HSL in E. coli. HdtS does not belong to either of the known AHL synthase families (LuxI or LuxM) and is related to the lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase family. HdtS may therefore constitute a member of a third protein family capable of AHL biosynthesis.
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PMID:The biocontrol strain Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 produces the Rhizobium small bacteriocin, N-(3-hydroxy-7-cis-tetradecenoyl)homoserine lactone, via HdtS, a putative novel N-acylhomoserine lactone synthase. 1102 23

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, many exoproduct virulence determinants are regulated via a hierarchical quorum-sensing cascade involving the transcriptional regulators LasR and RhlR and their cognate activators, N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3O-C12-HSL) and N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL). In this paper, we demonstrate that the cytotoxic lectins PA-IL and PA-IIL are regulated via quorum sensing. Using immunoblot analysis, the production of both lectins was found to be directly dependent on the rhl locus while, in a lasR mutant, the onset of lectin synthesis was delayed but not abolished. The PA-IL structural gene, lecA, was cloned and sequenced. Transcript analysis indicated a monocistronic organization with a transcriptional start site 70 bp upstream of the lecA translational start codon. A lux box-type element together with RpoS (sigma(S)) consensus sequences was identified upstream of the putative promoter region. In Escherichia coli, expression of a lecA::lux reporter fusion was activated by RhlR/C4-HSL, but not by LasR/3O-C12-HSL, confirming direct regulation by RhlR/C4-HSL. Similarly, in P. aeruginosa PAO1, the expression of a chromosomal lecA::lux fusion was enhanced but not advanced by the addition of exogenous C4-HSL but not 3O-C12-HSL. Furthermore, mutation of rpoS abolished lectin synthesis in P. aeruginosa, demonstrating that both RpoS and RhlR/C4-HSL are required. Although the C4-HSL-dependent expression of the lecA::lux reporter in E. coli could be inhibited by the presence of 3O-C12-HSL, this did not occur in P. aeruginosa. This suggests that, in the homologous genetic background, 3O-C12-HSL does not function as a posttranslational regulator of the RhlR/C4-HSL-dependent activation of lecA expression.
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PMID:The Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectins PA-IL and PA-IIL are controlled by quorum sensing and by RpoS. 1105 84

Virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa include hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This secondary metabolite is maximally produced at low oxygen tension and high cell densities during the transition from exponential to stationary growth phase. The hcnABC genes encoding HCN synthase were identified on a genomic fragment complementing an HCN-deficient mutant of P. aeruginosa PAO1. The hcnA promoter was found to be controlled by the FNR-like anaerobic regulator ANR and by the quorum-sensing regulators LasR and RhlR. Primer extension analysis revealed two transcription starts, T1 and T2, separated by 29 bp. Their function was confirmed by transcriptional lacZ fusions. The promoter sequence displayed an FNR/ANR box at -42.5 bp upstream of T2 and a lux box centered around -42.5 bp upstream of T1. Expression of the hcn genes was completely abolished when this lux box was deleted or inactivated by two point mutations in conserved nucleotides. The lux box was recognized by both LasR [activated by N-(oxododecanoyl)-homoserine lactone] and RhlR (activated by N-butanoyl-homoserine lactone), as shown by expression experiments performed in quorum-sensing-defective P. aeruginosa mutants and in the N-acyl-homoserine lactone-negative heterologous host P. fluorescens CHA0. A second, less conserved lux box lying 160 bp upstream of T1 seems to account for enhanced quorum-sensing-dependent expression. Without LasR and RhlR, ANR could not activate the hcn promoter. Together, these data indicate that expression of the hcn promoter from T1 can occur under quorum-sensing control alone. Enhanced expression from T2 appears to rely on a synergistic action between LasR, RhlR, and ANR.
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PMID:Transcriptional control of the hydrogen cyanide biosynthetic genes hcnABC by the anaerobic regulator ANR and the quorum-sensing regulators LasR and RhlR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 1109 54

The quorum-sensing system in bacteria is a well-known regulatory system that controls gene expression in a cell density-dependent manner. A transcriptional regulator (LuxR homologue), signal synthase (LuxI homologue) and autoinducer (acyl homoserine lactone) are indispensable for this system in most Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we found that SdiA, an Escherichia coli LuxR homologue, is a negative regulator of the expression of virulence factors EspD and intimin in enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7. The expression of EspD and intimin was inhibited at the RNA level upon SdiA overexpression. SdiA has a DNA-binding motif in its C-terminal part and can bind to the promoter regions of the esp and eae genes in vitro. Extracellular factors, which accumulate in culture supernatants of O157:H7 at the stationary phase of growth and inhibit EspD and intimin synthesis, bind to the N-terminal part of SdiA in vivo and in vitro. O157:H7 overproducing the N-terminal part of SdiA exhibited hypertranscription of EspD and intimin, suggesting that the overproduced N-terminal part had inhibited the activity of intact SdiA through titration of the extracellular factors. These results indicate that a quorum-sensing system including the SdiA protein controls colonization by O157:H7.
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PMID:SdiA, an Escherichia coli homologue of quorum-sensing regulators, controls the expression of virulence factors in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. 1111 15

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa las (lasR-lasI) and rhl (rhlR-rhlI) quorum-sensing systems regulate the expression of several virulence factors, including elastase and rhamnolipid. P. aeruginosa strain PR1-E4 is a lasR deletion mutant that contains a second, undefined mutation which allows production of elastase and rhamnolipid despite a nonfunctional las system. We have previously shown that this strain accomplishes this by increasing the expression of the autoinducer synthase gene rhlI. In this report, we show that the elastolytic phenotype of mutant PR1-E4 can be complemented with a P. aeruginosa homologue of the Escherichia coli dnaK mutation suppressor gene dksA. When supplied in trans on a multicopy plasmid, this gene completely suppressed elastase production by mutant PR1-E4. Cloning and Northern blot analysis revealed that dksA was neither mutated nor less transcribed in mutant PR1-E4. When overexpressed, dksA also reduced rhamnolipid production by both mutant PR1-E4 and the wild type, PAO1. Using Northern blot analysis and lacZ reporter fusions, we show that dksA inhibits rhlI, rhlAB, and lasB transcription. Exogenous N-butyryl-L-homoserine lactone overcame the reduced expression of rhlI and restored rhlAB and lasB expression, as well as elastase production. Our results suggest that the overproduction of the P. aeruginosa DksA homologue inhibits quorum-sensing-dependent virulence factor production by downregulating the transcription of the autoinducer synthase gene rhlI.
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PMID:Inhibition of quorum sensing by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa dksA homologue. 1116 83


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