title: Quorum Sensing Controls Swarming Motility of Burkholderia glumae through Regulation of Rhamnolipids.
abstract: Burkholderia glumae is a plant pathogenic bacterium that uses an acyl-homoserine lactone-mediated quorum sensing system to regulate protein secretion, oxalate production and major virulence determinants such as toxoflavin and flagella. B. glumae also releases surface-active rhamnolipids. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia thailandensis, rhamnolipids, along with flagella, are required for the social behavior called swarming motility. In the present study, we demonstrate that quorum sensing positively regulates the production of rhamnolipids in B. glumae and that rhamnolipids are necessary for swarming motility also in this species. We show that a rhlA- mutant, which is unable to produce rhamnolipids, loses its ability to swarm, and that this can be complemented by providing exogenous rhamnolipids. Impaired rhamnolipid production in a quorum sensing-deficient B. glumae mutant is the main factor responsible for its defective swarming motility behaviour.
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Arvin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nickzad
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lépine
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Déziel
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019117:Burkholderia / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D053038:Quorum Sensing
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006017:Glycolipids; C418382:rhamnolipid