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Quorum Sensing Bacterial Communication Systems and Interference Strategies in Marine Environments

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A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2021) | Viewed by 18029

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Inmaculada Llamas Company

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Guest Editor

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Universitario Cartuja s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: microbiology; halophiles; quorum sensing; quorum quenching; exopolysaccharides; agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Marta Torres

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Guest Editor

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: quorum sensing; aquaculture; vibrio; microbiology; extremophiles; microbial ecology; microbial biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacteria “communicate” with each other through a sophisticated cell-to-cell communication mechanism called quorum sensing (QS). This is a ubiquitous process used by bacteria to coordinate their behaviour and adapt to their environment. It consists of the synthesis, release and detection of signal molecules known as autoinducers. Once cell density reaches a threshold, the signals are sensed by the bacteria which in turn induce QS-regulated responses. QS-controlled functions include the synthesis of antibiotics and exoenzymes, production of exopolysaccharides, motility, etc., some of which are virulence traits in pathogenic bacteria. To cope with this, many organisms have developed the ability to disrupt QS systems through various mechanisms, such as the enzymatic inactivation of signal molecules (quorum quenching) or the production of antagonists that interfere with the detection of autoinducers (quorum sensing inhibition). Marine organisms are considered an important and underexplored source for the discovery of novel drugs with anti-QS activity that could be used to fight bacterial infections.

This special issue aims to explore recent research on quorum sensing systems and interference strategies that are present in marine environments as well as their biotechnological applications.

Prof. Dr. Inmaculada Llamas
Dr. Marta Torres
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Microbiology
halophiles
quorum sensing
quorum quenching
exopolysaccharides
aquaculture

Related Special Issue

Quorum Quenching Agents: Exploring Quorum Sensing Interfering Strategies in Marine Bacteria for the Development of Novel Therapeutics in Marine Drugs (10 articles)

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Marine-Source Quorum Quenching Enzyme YtnP to Improve Hygiene Quality in Dental Units

by Xiaohui Sun, Philip Hill, Jia Liu, Jing Qian, Yuting Ma and Shufeng Zhou

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(4), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040225 - 16 Apr 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2080

Abstract

Biofilm in dental unit water lines may pose a health risk to patients and dental practitioners. An AdiC-like quorum quenching enzyme, YtnP, was cloned from a deep-sea probiotic Bacillus velezensis, and heterologously expressed in E. coli to examine the application on the improvement of hygiene problems caused by biofilm infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in dental units. Pseudomonas bacteria were isolated from dental chair units and used to grow static biofilms in the laboratory. A water filter system was designed to test the antifouling activity of YtnP in Laboratory, to simulate the biofilm contamination on water filter in dental unit water lines. The results demonstrated that the enzyme of YtnP was able to degrade the N-acyl homoserine lactones, significantly inhibited the EPS generation, biofilm formation, and virulence factors production (pyocyanin and rhamnolipid) of P. aeruginosa, and was efficient on the antifouling against P. aeruginosa. The findings in this study indicated the possibility of YtnP as novel disinfectant reagent for hygiene treatment in dental units. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quorum Sensing Bacterial Communication Systems and Interference Strategies in Marine Environments)

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19 pages, 2933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Use of Quorum Sensing Inhibition Strategies to Control Microfouling

by Andrea Muras, Ana Parga, Celia Mayer and Ana Otero

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(2), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19020074 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2777

Abstract

Interfering with the quorum sensing bacterial communication systems has been proposed as a promising strategy to control bacterial biofilm formation, a key process in biofouling development. Appropriate in vitro biofilm-forming bacteria models are needed to establish screening methods for innovative anti-biofilm and anti-microfouling compounds. Four marine strains, two Pseudoalteromonas spp. and two Vibrio spp., were selected and studied with regard to their biofilm-forming capacity and sensitivity to quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors. Biofilm experiments were performed using two biofilm cultivation and quantification methods: the xCELLigence^® system, which allows online monitoring of biofilm formation, and the active attachment model, which allows refreshment of the culture medium to obtain a strong biofilm that can be quantified with standard staining methods. Although all selected strains produced acyl-homoserine-lactone (AHL) QS signals, only the P. flavipulchra biofilm, measured with both quantification systems, was significantly reduced with the addition of the AHL-lactonase Aii20J without a significant effect on planktonic growth. Two-species biofilms containing P. flavipulchra were also affected by the addition of Aii20J, indicating an influence on the target bacterial strain as well as an indirect effect on the co-cultured bacterium. The use of xCELLigence^® is proposed as a time-saving method to quantify biofilm formation and search for eco-friendly anti-microfouling compounds based on quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) strategies. The results obtained from these two in vitro biofilm formation methods revealed important differences in the response of biosensor bacteria to culture medium and conditions, indicating that several strains should be used simultaneously for screening purposes and the cultivation conditions should be carefully optimized for each specific purpose. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quorum Sensing Bacterial Communication Systems and Interference Strategies in Marine Environments)

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18 pages, 2575 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AhaP, A Quorum Quenching Acylase from Psychrobacter sp. M9-54-1 That Attenuates Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio coralliilyticus Virulence

by José Carlos Reina, Manuel Romero, Rafael Salto, Miguel Cámara and Inmaculada Llamas

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19010016 - 01 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3527

Abstract

Although Psychrobacter strain M9-54-1 had been previously isolated from the microbiota of holothurians and shown to degrade quorum sensing (QS) signal molecules C6 and C10-homoserine lactone (HSL), little was known about the gene responsible for this activity. In this study, we determined the whole genome sequence of this strain and found that the full 16S rRNA sequence shares 99.78–99.66% identity with Psychrobacter pulmonis CECT 5989^T and P. faecalis ISO-46^T. M9-54-1, evaluated using the agar well diffusion assay method, showed high quorum quenching (QQ) activity against a wide range of synthetic N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHLs) at 4, 15, and 28 °C. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass-spectrometry (HPLC-MS) confirmed that QQ activity was due to an AHL-acylase. The gene encoding for QQ activity in strain M9-54-1 was identified from its genome sequence whose gene product was named AhaP. Purified AhaP degraded substituted and unsubstituted AHLs from C4- to C14-HSL. Furthermore, heterologous expression of ahaP in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 reduced the expression of the QS-controlled gene lecA, encoding for a cytotoxic galactophilic lectin and swarming motility protein. Strain M9-54-1 also reduced brine shrimp mortality caused by Vibrio coralliilyticus VibC-Oc-193, showing potential as a biocontrol agent in aquaculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quorum Sensing Bacterial Communication Systems and Interference Strategies in Marine Environments)

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14 pages, 2762 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Cladodionen Is a Potential Quorum Sensing Inhibitor Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

by Mengjia Wang, Lu Zhao, Hao Wu, Chaoyue Zhao, Qianhong Gong and Wengong Yu

Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(4), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18040205 - 10 Apr 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 3577

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen using virulence factors and biofilm regulated by quorum sensing (QS) systems to infect patients and protect itself from environmental stress and antibiotics. Interfering with QS systems is a novel approach to combat P. aeruginosa infections without killing the bacteria, meaning that it is much harder for bacteria to develop drug resistance. A marine fungus Cladosporium sp. Z148 with anti-QS activity was obtained from Jiaozhou Bay, China. Cladodionen, a novel QS inhibitor, was isolated from the extracts of this fungus. Cladodionen had a better inhibitory effect than pyocyanin on the production of elastase and rhamnolipid. It also inhibited biofilm formation and motilities. The mRNA expressions of QS-related genes, including receptor proteins (lasR, rhlR and pqsR), autoinducer synthases (lasI, rhlI and pqsA) and virulence factors (lasB and rhlA) were down-regulated by cladodionen. Molecular docking analysis showed that cladodionen had better binding affinity to LasR and PqsR than natural ligands. Moreover, the binding affinity of cladodionen to LasR was higher than to PqsR. Cladodionen exhibits potential as a QS inhibitor against P. aeruginosa, and its structure–activity relationships should be further studied to illustrate the mode of action, optimize its structure and improve anti-QS activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quorum Sensing Bacterial Communication Systems and Interference Strategies in Marine Environments)

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25 pages, 4135 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quorum Quenching Properties and Probiotic Potentials of Intestinal Associated Bacteria in Asian Sea Bass Lates calcarifer

by Reza Ghanei-Motlagh, Takavar Mohammadian, Darioush Gharibi, Simon Menanteau-Ledouble, Esmaeil Mahmoudi, Mohammad Khosravi, Mojtaba Zarea and Mansour El-Matbouli

Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18010023 - 26 Dec 2019

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5341

Abstract

Quorum quenching (QQ), the enzymatic degradation of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), has been suggested as a promising strategy to control bacterial diseases. In this study, 10 AHL-degrading bacteria isolated from the intestine of barramundi were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. They were able to degrade both short and long-chain AHLs associated with several pathogenic Vibrio species (spp.) in fish, including N-[(RS)-3-Hydroxybutyryl]-l-homoserine lactone (3-oh-C₄-HSL), N-Hexanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (C₆-HSL), N-(β-Ketocaproyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C₆-HSL), N-(3-Oxodecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C₁₀-HSL), N-(3-Oxotetradecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C₁₄-HSL). Five QQ isolates (QQIs) belonging to the Bacillus and Shewanella genera, showed high capacity to degrade both synthetic AHLs as well as natural AHLs produced by Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio alginolyticus using the well-diffusion method and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The genes responsible for QQ activity, including aiiA, ytnP, and aaC were also detected. Analysis of the amino acid sequences from the predicted lactonases revealed the presence of the conserved motif HxHxDH. The selected isolates were further characterized in terms of their probiotic potentials in vitro. Based on our scoring system, Bacillus thuringiensis QQ1 and Bacillus cereus QQ2 exhibited suitable probiotic characteristics, including the production of spore and exoenzymes, resistance to bile salts and pH, high potential to adhere on mucus, appropriate growth abilities, safety to barramundi, and sensitivity to antibiotics. These isolates, therefore, constitute new QQ probiotics that could be used to control vibriosis in Lates calcalifer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quorum Sensing Bacterial Communication Systems and Interference Strategies in Marine Environments)

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