Abstract
Bacterial quorum-sensing (QS) molecules are one of the primary means allowing communication between bacterial cells or populations. Plants also evolved to perceive and respond to those molecules. N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) are QS molecules, of which impact has been extensively studied in different plants. Most studies, however, assessed the interactions in a bilateral manner, a nature of interactions, which occurs rarely, if at all, in nature. Here, we investigated how Arabidopsis thaliana responds to the presence of different single AHL molecules and their combinations. We assumed that this reflects the situation in the rhizosphere more accurately than the presence of a single AHL molecule. In order to assess those effects, we monitored the plant growth and defense responses as well as resistance to the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato (Pst). Our results indicate that the complex interactions between multiple AHL and plants may have surprisingly similar outcomes. Individually, some of the AHL molecules positively influenced plant growth, while others induced the already known AHL-priming for induced resistance. Their combinations had a relatively low impact on the growth but seemed to induce resistance mechanisms. Very striking was the fact that all triple, the quadruple as well as the double combination(s) with long-chained AHL molecules increased the resistance to Pst. These findings indicate that induced resistance against plant pathogens could be one of the major outcomes of an AHL perception. Taken together, we present here the first study on how plants respond to the complexity of bacterial quorum sensing.
Highlights
Interactions between plant and the associated bacteria are based on an exchange and perception of diverse molecules that are both plant- and bacteria-originated
We present here the first data on how a plant respond to the complexity of bacterial quorum sensing
Arabidopsis seeds were germinated on sterile 1/2-strength MS medium for 1 week and transferred to fresh 1/2-strength MS media supplemented with single acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) or their combinations for an additional 3 weeks (Supplementary Figure S1B)
Summary
Interactions between plant and the associated bacteria are based on an exchange and perception of diverse molecules that are both plant- and bacteria-originated. Quorum sensing (QS) was discovered as a means of communication within bacterial populations; it is a process based on the synthesis and detection of autoinducer or QS molecules. This phenomenon enables bacteria to monitor the cell density and to coordinate collective changes. AHL is one of the major and most extensively studied class of QS molecules Molecules from this group are comprised of two moieties: a homoserine lactone ring and an acyl side-chain, ranging from 4 to 18 carbons. The precise recognition of the AHL by its cognate receptor depends on the lactone ring; the amide group and the fatty acid chain length that together determine the specificity of the cell-tocell recognition and interaction (Churchill and Chen, 2011)
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