title: LuxS distribution and AI-2 activity of Campylobacter spp.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the distribution of LuxS within Campylobacter (Camp.) species and Autoinducer (AI)-2 activity of Camp. jejuni NCTC 11168 in food matrices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LuxS (S-ribosylhomocysteinase) sequences of different Campylobacter spp. were compared, and AI-2 activity was measured with an AI-2 reporter assay. Highest LuxS homologies were shared by Camp. jejuni, Camp. coli and Camp. upsaliensis, and their LuxS sequences had more similarities to the analysed Arcobacter and Vibrio harveyi strains than to all other analysed Campylobacter species. Of 15 analysed species only Camp. lari, Camp. peloridis and Camp. insulaenigrae did not produce AI-2 molecules. Cultivation of Camp. jejuni NCTC 11168 in chicken juice reduced AI-2 activity, and this reduction is not because of lower luxS expression or functionality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Not all Campylobacter species encode luxS. Food matrices can reduce AI-2 activity in a LuxS-independent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Besides, Camp. lari, Camp. peloridis and Camp. insulaenigrae do not show AI-2 activity. Further investigations should clarify the function of AI-2 in Campylobacter spp. and how species lacking luxS could overcome this alteration. Furthermore, the impact of food matrices on these functions needs to be determined as we could show that chicken juice reduced AI-2 activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Hygiene, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany. goelz.greta@vetmed.fu-berlin.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gölz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huehn
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alter
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006714:Homoserine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D007783:Lactones / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D007783:Lactones; C091088:N-octanoylhomoserine lactone; D006714:Homoserine; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases; C117753:LuxS protein, Bacteria