title: Use of solid-phase extraction to enable enhanced detection of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in environmental samples.
abstract: A challenge for understanding the role of bacterial cell-cell signalling in the environment is the detection of those signals, which are often present in low (nmol L(-1)) concentrations. We describe here a simple purification method, solid-phase extraction (SPE), for increasing the sensitivity of detection for one such group of signals, acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), in environmental samples. Spiking of dried marine sponge tissue (Stylinos sp.) with AHLs resulted in detection down to 0.01 ppm for 3-oxo-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (3-oxo C6-HSL) and 1 ppm for hexanoyl homoserine lactone (C6-HSL). Compared with liquid extraction methods use of SPE resulted in twofold and tenfold improvements in sensitivity, respectively.
authors.affiliation: University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, GUAM 96923, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schupp
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Charlton
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Staffan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kjelleberg
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Steinberg
mesh_terms: D015107:4-Butyrolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000378:metabolism; D049148:Aminoacylation; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000441:Hexanols / Q000737:chemistry; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D000441:Hexanols; C088386:homoserine lactone; D015107:4-Butyrolactone