title: Sensitive whole-cell biosensor suitable for detecting a variety of N-acyl homoserine lactones in intact rhizosphere microbial communities.
abstract: To investigate quorum sensing in rhizosphere soil, a whole-cell biosensor, Agrobacterium tumefaciens(pAHL-Ice), was constructed. The biosensor responded to all N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) tested, except C(4) homoserine lactone, with a minimum detection limit of 10(-12) M, as well as to both exogenously added AHLs and AHL-producing bacterial strains in soil. This highly sensitive biosensor reveals for the first time the increased AHL availability in intact rhizosphere microbial communities compared to that in bulk soil.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: DeAngelis
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Firestone
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lindow
mesh_terms: D015107:4-Butyrolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000502:physiology*; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: C088386:homoserine lactone; D015107:4-Butyrolactone