title: Intra-species bacterial quorum sensing studied at single cell level in a double droplet trapping system.
abstract: In this paper, we investigated the intra-species bacterial quorum sensing at the single cell level using a double droplet trapping system. Escherichia coli transformed to express the quorum sensing receptor protein, LasR, were encapsulated in microdroplets that were positioned adjacent to microdroplets containing the autoinducer, N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (OdDHL). Functional activation of the LasR protein by diffusion of the OdDHL across the droplet interface was measured by monitoring the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from a LasR-dependent promoter. A threshold concentration of OdDHL was found to induce production of quorum-sensing associated GFP by E. coli. Additionally, we demonstrated that LasR-dependent activation of GFP expression was also initiated when the adjacent droplets contained single E. coli transformed with the OdDHL synthase gene, LasI, representing a simple quorum sensing circuit between two droplets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK. ca26@cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Yunpeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Santoshkumar N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poulter
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: George P C
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Salmond
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.forename: Wilhelm T S
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Huck
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abell
mesh_terms: D015107:4-Butyrolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006714:Homoserine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C081237:LasI protein, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; C080365:LasR protein, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; C109860:N-(3-oxododecanoyl)homoserine lactone; D015534:Trans-Activators; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006714:Homoserine; D015107:4-Butyrolactone