This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zimmermann, S. Articles by Hänsch, G. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zimmermann, S. Articles by Hänsch, G. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, October 2006, p. 5687-5692, Vol. 74, No. 10
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01940-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Induction of Neutrophil Chemotaxis by the Quorum-Sensing Molecule N-(3-Oxododecanoyl)-L-Homoserine Lactone

Institut für Immunologie der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany,¹ Klinik für Unfall- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Ludwigshafen, Ludwigshafen, Germany,² Institut für Technische Chemie, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany³

Received 29 November 2005/ Returned for modification 26 March 2006/ Accepted 3 July 2006

Acyl homoserine lactones are synthesized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa as signaling molecules which control production of virulence factors and biofilm formation in a paracrine manner. We found that N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL), but not its 3-deoxo isomer or acyl-homoserine lactones with shorter fatty acids, induced the directed migration (chemotaxis) of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in vitro. By use of selective inhibitors a signaling pathway, comprising phosphotyrosine kinases, phospholipase C, protein kinase C, and mitogen-activated protein kinase C, could be delineated. In contrast to the well-studied chemokines complement C5a and interleukin 8, the chemotaxis did not depend on pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins, indicating that 3OC12-HSL uses another signaling pathway. Strong evidence for the presence of a receptor for 3OC12-HSL on PMN was derived from uptake studies; by use of radiolabeled 3OC12-HSL, specific and saturable binding to PMN was seen. Taken together, our data provide evidence that PMN recognize and migrate toward a source of 3OC12-HSL (that is, to the site of a developing biofilm). We propose that this early attraction of PMN could contribute to prevention of biofilm formation.

Editor: J. F. Urban, Jr.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Willcox, M. D. P., Zhu, H., Conibear, T. C. R., Hume, E. B. H., Givskov, M., Kjelleberg, S., Rice, S. A. (2008). Role of quorum sensing by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in microbial keratitis and cystic fibrosis. Microbiology 154: 2184-2194 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Teiber, J. F., Horke, S., Haines, D. C., Chowdhary, P. K., Xiao, J., Kramer, G. L., Haley, R. W., Draganov, D. I. (2008). Dominant Role of Paraoxonases in Inactivation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Signal N-(3-Oxododecanoyl)-L-Homoserine Lactone. Infect. Immun. 76: 2512-2519 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vos, R., Vanaudenaerde, B. M., Geudens, N., Dupont, L. J., Van Raemdonck, D. E., Verleden, G. M. (2008). Pseudomonal airway colonisation: risk factor for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation?. Eur Respir J 31: 1037-1045 [Abstract] [Full Text]