Global analysis of the Burkholderia thailandensis quorum sensing-controlled regulon.
Burkholderia thailandensis contains three acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing circuits and has two additional LuxR homologs. To identify B. thailandensis quorum sensing-controlled genes, we carried out transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses of quorum sensing mutants and their parent. The analyses were grounded in the fact that we identified genes coding for factors shown previously to be regulated by quorum sensing among a larger set of quorum-controlled genes. We also found that genes coding for contact-dependent inhibition were induced by quorum sensing and confirmed that specific quorum sensing mutants had a contact-dependent inhibition defect. Additional quorum-controlled genes included those for the production of numerous secondary metabolites, an uncharacterized exopolysaccharide, and a predicted chitin-binding protein. This study provides insights into the roles of the three quorum sensing circuits in the saprophytic lifestyle of B. thailandensis, and it provides a foundation on which to build an understanding of the roles of quorum sensing in the biology of B. thailandensis and the closely related pathogenic Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei.
Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Charlotte
C
Majerczyk
Mitchell
M
Brittnacher
Michael
M
Jacobs
Christopher D
CD
Armour
Mathew
M
Radey
Emily
E
Schneider
Somsak
S
Phattarasokul
Richard
R
Bunt
E Peter
EP
Greenberg
D015107:4-Butyrolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019117:Burkholderia / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D018085:Regulon
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C088386:homoserine lactone; D015107:4-Butyrolactone