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Infection and Immunity, July 2003, p. 3914-3919, Vol. 71, No. 7
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.7.3914-3919.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Detection of a luxS-Signaling Molecule in Bacillus anthracis

Marcus B. Jones1 and Martin J. Blaser1,2,3*

Department of Microbiology, Sackler Institute,1 Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine,2 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, New York3

Received 10 February 2003/ Returned for modification 17 March 2003/ Accepted 15 April 2003

Quorum-sensing regulation of density-dependent genes has been described for numerous bacterial species. The partially annotated genome sequence of Bacillus anthracis contains an open reading frame (BA5047) predicted to encode an ortholog of luxS, required for synthesis of the quorum-sensing signaling molecule autoinducer-2 (AI-2). To determine whether B. anthracis produces AI-2, the Vibrio harveyi luminescence bioassay was used. Cell-free conditioned media from vaccine (Sterne) strain 34F2 induced luminescence in V. harveyi reporter strain BB170, indicating its production of AI-2. Cloned BA5047, expressed in Escherichia coli DH5{alpha} cells, restored AI-2 activity to these cells. To evaluate whether BA5047 is essential for AI-2 synthesis, it was deleted through allelic exchange with marker rescue; the resulting mutant had no functional luxS activity and had reduced growth in vitro. In the wild-type strain, AI-2 activity was greatest during the exponential phase of growth. In total, these data indicate that BA5047 is a functional luxS ortholog in B. anthracis necessary for growth-phase-specific AI-2 expression. Thus, B. anthracis may utilize extracellular signaling molecules to regulate density-dependent gene expression.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Ave., New York, NY 10016. Phone: (212) 263-6394. Fax: (212) 263-7700. E-mail: Martin.Blaser{at}msnyuhealth.org.

Editor: W. A. Petri, Jr.

Infection and Immunity, July 2003, p. 3914-3919, Vol. 71, No. 7
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.7.3914-3919.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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