This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Taminiau, B.
Right arrow Articles by Letesson, J.-J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Taminiau, B.
Right arrow Articles by Letesson, J.-J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, June 2002, p. 3004-3011, Vol. 70, No. 6
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.6.3004-3011.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Identification of a Quorum-Sensing Signal Molecule in the Facultative Intracellular Pathogen Brucella melitensis

Bernard Taminiau,1* Mavis Daykin,2 Simon Swift,2,3 Maria-Laura Boschiroli,4 Anne Tibor,1 Pascal Lestrate,1 Xavier De Bolle,1 David O'Callaghan,4 Paul Williams,2,3 and Jean-Jacques Letesson1

Unité de Recherche en Biologie Moléculaire (URBM), Laboratoire d'Immunologie et Microbiologie, Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, 5000 Namur, Belgium,1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD,2 Institute of Infections and Immunity, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom,3 INSERM U431, Faculté de Médecine, 30900 Nîmes, France4

Received 8 November 2001/ Returned for modification 15 January 2002/ Accepted 21 March 2002

Brucella melitensis is a gram-negative alpha2-proteobacterium responsible for abortion in goats and for Malta fever in humans. This facultative intracellular pathogen invades and survives within both professional and nonprofessional phagocytes. A dichloromethane extract of spent culture supernatant from B. melitensis induces bioluminescence in an Escherichia coli acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) biosensor strain based upon the activity of the LasR protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. HPLC fractionation of the extract, followed by mass spectrometry, identified the major active molecule as N-dodecanoylhomoserine lactone (C12-HSL). This is the first report of the production of an acyl-HSL by an intracellular pathogen. The addition of synthetic C12-HSL to an early log phase culture of either B. melitensis or Brucella suis 1330 reduces the transcription of the virB operon, which contains virulence genes known to be required for intracellular survival. This mimics events seen during the stationary phase of growth and suggests that quorum sensing may play a role in the control of virulence in Brucella.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unité de Recherche en Biologie Moléculaire (URBM), Laboratoire d'Immunologie et Microbiologie Facultés, Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000 Namur, Belgium. Phone: 3281724409. Fax: 3281724420. E-mail: Bernard.Taminiau{at}fundp.ac.be.

Editor: V. J. DiRita

Infection and Immunity, June 2002, p. 3004-3011, Vol. 70, No. 6
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.6.3004-3011.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Zhong, Z., Wang, Y., Qiao, F., Wang, Z., Du, X., Xu, J., Zhao, J., Qu, Q., Dong, S., Sun, Y., Huang, L., Huang, K., Chen, Z. (2009). Cytotoxicity of Brucella smooth strains for macrophages is mediated by increased secretion of the type IV secretion system. Microbiology 155: 3392-3402 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Subramoni, S., Venturi, V. (2009). LuxR-family 'solos': bachelor sensors/regulators of signalling molecules. Microbiology 155: 1377-1385 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Martin, F. A., Posadas, D. M., Carrica, M. C., Cravero, S. L., O'Callaghan, D., Zorreguieta, A. (2009). Interplay between Two RND Systems Mediating Antimicrobial Resistance in Brucella suis. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2530-2540 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rambow-Larsen, A. A., Rajashekara, G., Petersen, E., Splitter, G. (2008). Putative Quorum-Sensing Regulator BlxR of Brucella melitensis Regulates Virulence Factors Including the Type IV Secretion System and Flagella. J. Bacteriol. 190: 3274-3282 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cheng, Z., Wang, X., Rikihisa, Y. (2008). Regulation of Type IV Secretion Apparatus Genes during Ehrlichia chaffeensis Intracellular Development by a Previously Unidentified Protein. J. Bacteriol. 190: 2096-2105 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pei, J., Wu, Q., Kahl-McDonagh, M., Ficht, T. A. (2008). Cytotoxicity in Macrophages Infected with Rough Brucella Mutants Is Type IV Secretion System Dependent. Infect. Immun. 76: 30-37 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Uzureau, S., Godefroid, M., Deschamps, C., Lemaire, J., De Bolle, X., Letesson, J.-J. (2007). Mutations of the Quorum Sensing-Dependent Regulator VjbR Lead to Drastic Surface Modifications in Brucella melitensis. J. Bacteriol. 189: 6035-6047 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Posadas, D. M., Martin, F. A., Sabio y Garcia, J. V., Spera, J. M., Delpino, M. V., Baldi, P., Campos, E., Cravero, S. L., Zorreguieta, A. (2007). The TolC Homologue of Brucella suis Is Involved in Resistance to Antimicrobial Compounds and Virulence. Infect. Immun. 75: 379-389 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gonzalez, J. E., Keshavan, N. D. (2006). Messing with Bacterial Quorum Sensing. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 70: 859-875 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Carle, A., Hoppner, C., Ahmed Aly, K., Yuan, Q., den Dulk-Ras, A., Vergunst, A., O'Callaghan, D., Baron, C. (2006). The Brucella suis Type IV Secretion System Assembles in the Cell Envelope of the Heterologous Host Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Increases IncQ Plasmid pLS1 Recipient Competence. Infect. Immun. 74: 108-117 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sun, Y.-H., Rolan, H. G., den Hartigh, A. B., Sondervan, D., Tsolis, R. M. (2005). Brucella abortus VirB12 Is Expressed during Infection but Is Not an Essential Component of the Type IV Secretion System. Infect. Immun. 73: 6048-6054 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Valade, E., Thibault, F. M., Gauthier, Y. P., Palencia, M., Popoff, M. Y., Vidal, D. R. (2004). The PmlI-PmlR Quorum-Sensing System in Burkholderia pseudomallei Plays a Key Role in Virulence and Modulates Production of the MprA Protease. J. Bacteriol. 186: 2288-2294 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chen, H., Teplitski, M., Robinson, J. B., Rolfe, B. G., Bauer, W. D. (2003). Proteomic Analysis of Wild-Type Sinorhizobium meliloti Responses to N-Acyl Homoserine Lactone Quorum-Sensing Signals and the Transition to Stationary Phase. J. Bacteriol. 185: 5029-5036 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rouot, B., Alvarez-Martinez, M.-T., Marius, C., Menanteau, P., Guilloteau, L., Boigegrain, R.-A., Zumbihl, R., O'Callaghan, D., Domke, N., Baron, C. (2003). Production of the Type IV Secretion System Differs among Brucella Species as Revealed with VirB5- and VirB8-Specific Antisera. Infect. Immun. 71: 1075-1082 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»