Bacterias although considered for decades to be antisocial organisms whose sole purpose is to find nutrients and multiply are in fact highly communicative organisms. space requirements and rapid generation of results. This review presents examples of such models available for studying the pathogenicity of the 5-hydroxymethyl tolterodine Gram-negative bacterium where niche adaptation and symbiosis are important. Adaptation to morphological forms with better resistance to environmental threats is also aided by bacterial communication. 5-hydroxymethyl tolterodine Where establishment of successful infections is required communication between bacteria enables them to coordinate the expression of virulence factors and overcome the defence systems of higher organisms including humans. This review discusses: (a) the QS-regulated virulence of the Gram-negative bacterium toxicity. 2 Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa One of the most extensively studied QS systems is that of the Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen [5 6 In this organism the cell-to-cell communication is highly complex and consists of two hierarchically ordered acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent QS systems referred to as the Las and the Rhl systems [7]. The Las system consists of the LasR transcriptional activator and of the AHL synthase LasI which directs the synthesis of the itself thereby creating a positive feedback loop [9] (Figure 1). By acting as an antagonist to the 3-oxo-C12-HSL-LasR complex RsaL binds to promoter thus repressing the expression of LasI [10]. Additionally RsaL represses production of AHL-dependent virulence factors such as pyocyanin and cyanide [10]. LasR expression is also tightly regulated 5-hydroxymethyl tolterodine via multiple factors involving Vfr and GacA (positive feedback) or QteE (negative feedback) [11-13]. Figure 1 Quorum sensing (QS) in and its correlation with the quinolone signal (PQS) system is presented in the scheme below. (Skull represents … Next to its function as a signal molecule 3 also acts as a virulence determinant in its own right by modulating the responses of the host?痵 defence [7]. 3-oxo-C12-HSL down-regulates the host defence by inhibiting activation of dendritic- and T-cells [14] promotes apoptosis of neutrophils and macrophages [15] 5-hydroxymethyl tolterodine and provokes production of inflammatory cytokines in a calcium-dependent manner [16 17 The Rhl system consists of the transcriptional activator RhlR and the RhlI synthase which directs the synthesis of the and [7]. Despite this hierarchy expression of and is not exclusively dependent on a functional Las system and the expression of genes such as [20] pyocyanin rhamnolipids and C4-HSL in a mutant is delayed rather than abolished [21]. Transcriptome studies by Schuster [22] and by Wagner [23] brought to light the existence of Las- and Rhl-regulated genes and operons throughout the chromosome supporting the idea that the QS circuitry constitutes a global regulatory system. The Las and the Rhl systems are further modulated by the quinolone signal 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (PQS) which increases the level of complexity to the QS network. PQS synthesis is controlled by both the Las and Rhl systems whereas PQS itself controls the expression of RhlR and RhlI [24]. The PQS biosynthesis is aided by operon and regulated by the PqsR regulator also referred to as MvfR. PqsR is a membrane-associated transcriptional activator that also regulates Rabbit Polyclonal to Caspase 5 (p20, Cleaved-Asp121). the production of elastase 3 phospholipase and pyocyanin [25]. Exogenous PQS was shown to induce expression of elastase B and of [6]. Aendekerk and co-workers [26] added to the understanding of PQS’s function by demonstrating that strains carrying mutations in the QS-regulated multi-drug efflux pump MexGHI-OpmD that they were unable to produce wild type levels of either PQS or HSL and that these mutant strains were also unable to establish successful infections in mice and plant models. In addition growth defects as well as altered antibiotic susceptibility profiles were observed for these strains. However the phenotypes of these mutants could be restored to wild-type by the addition of exogenous PQS suggesting that the AHL/PQS-dependent QS-regulatory network plays a central role in coordinating virulence antibiotic resistance and fitness in [26]. Since QS hierarchical order is observed in grown in rich medium interesting behaviours can be seen under different growing conditions [27]. For instance under phosphate-depletion conditions the Las system seems to be dispensable for and activation. A recently published paper [28] suggested that genes in operon are responsible for the biosynthesis of 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-thiazole-4-carbaldehyde (IQS) a molecule.