rhlI Mutant Research Articles

Directed evolution of RhlI to generate new and increased quorum sensing signal molecule catalytic activities

Quorum sensing is a population density-dependent gene expression regulation mechanism in bacteria. The substrate specificity of RhlI, an enzyme in the RhlI–RhlR quorum sensing system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was explored by directed evolution to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of quorum sensing. RhlI catalyzes S-adenosyl methionine and butanoyl or hexanoyl acyl carrier protein to form N-butanoyl homoserine lactone (BHL) and or N-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (HHL), respectively, none of which contain 3-oxo groups. We developed high-throughput genetic screening and selection methods to identify RhlI mutants via four rounds of directed evolution and identified RhlI-4M1 as the mutant that generated new catalytic activity and synthesized 3-oxo-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (OHHL) containing the 3-oxo group in Escherichia coli. Additionally, the synthesizing activities of BHL and HHL were improved by 3.98- and 3.01-fold, respectively. RhlI-4M1 contains five amino acid substitutions (A15D, K31R, T92S, Y129N, and L184Q) and one stop codon (Q193*) mutations. The deletion of nine amino acids in the C-terminus was crucial for OHHL production by RhlI mutants. This work demonstrates that the genetic screen/selection should be useful in the development of applications involving the manipulation of bacterial quorum sensing. The new catalytic activity of these RhlI mutants will prove beneficial in elucidating the mechanistic understanding of bacterial quorum sensing and similarly, may prove beneficial in the development of new drugs including antimicrobial compounds.

Quorum‐sensing regulator RhlR but not its autoinducer RhlI enables Pseudomonas to evade opsonization

When Drosophila melanogaster feeds on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, some bacteria cross the intestinal barrier and eventually proliferate in the hemocoel. This process is limited by hemocytes through phagocytosis. P. aeruginosa requires the quorum-sensing regulator RhlR to elude the cellular immune response of the fly. RhlI synthesizes the autoinducer signal that activates RhlR. Here, we show that rhlI mutants are unexpectedly more virulent than rhlR mutants, both in fly and in nematode intestinal infection models, suggesting that RhlR has RhlI-independent functions. We also report that RhlR protects P. aeruginosa from opsonization mediated by the Drosophila thioester-containing protein 4 (Tep4). RhlR mutant bacteria show higher levels of Tep4-mediated opsonization, as compared to rhlI mutants, which prevents lethal bacteremia in the Drosophila hemocoel. In contrast, in a septic model of infection, in which bacteria are introduced directly into the hemocoel, Tep4 mutant flies are more resistant to wild-type P. aeruginosa, but not to the rhlR mutant. Thus, depending on the infection route, the Tep4 opsonin can either be protective or detrimental to host defense.

The role ofrpoSgene and quorum-sensing system in ofloxacin tolerance inPseudomonas aeruginosa

The basis of the bactericidal action of antibiotics and the mechanisms of antibiotic tolerance are largely unknown. To elucidate one of the mechanisms of antibiotic tolerance, the present study investigated the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing (QS) and the rpoS gene in antibiotic tolerance. The survival rates of the lasR and lasI mutants were observed to be lower than that of the parental strain in time-dependent killing studies with 8 microg mL(-1) ofloxacin, but the survival rates of the rhlR and rhlI mutants were not different from that of the parental strain. Moreover, a lasR-overexpressing strain was more tolerant to ofloxacin than the parental strain, but this was not the case for an rhlR-overexpressing strain. The mRNA expression levels of lasR, lasI, and rpoS in the wild-type strain in the presence of bactericidal concentration of ofloxacin were lower than that in the absence of ofloxacin. In addition, the significant loss of antibiotic tolerance in the lasR mutant was recovered by the overexpression of rpoS. These results suggest that the Las QS system in P. aeruginosa is involved in the development of ofloxacin tolerance, and the tolerance induced by the Las-system is regulated by rpoS gene.

Degradation and synthesis kinetics of quorum-sensing autoinducer in Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultivation

The quorum-sensing ( las and rhl) systems play critical roles in the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its synthesis of the important biosurfactants, rhamnolipids. In this work, P. aeruginosa PAO1 and its rhlI and rhlR null mutants were used to study the degradation and synthesis kinetics of the rhl system's autoinducer PAI2 ( N-butanoyl-homoserine lactone). The two mutants, lacking the ability of synthesizing PAI2 or RhlR protein, produced insignificant amounts of rhamnolipids while having similar growth profiles as the wild-type culture. The regulatory RhlR:PAI2 complex is thus essential to rhamnolipid synthesis. In batch culture of the wild-type PAO1, the autoinducer PAI2 concentration increased along cell growth, especially during the transition from exponential-growth phase to stationary phase, and began to decrease after entering the stationary phase. The decrease in the stationary phase resulted from a faster PAI2 degradation than its synthesis. The degradation kinetics was studied using PAI2-containing supernatants (from centrifuged broth of wild-type culture) with and without the rhlI(−) mutant cells incapable of PAI2 synthesis. Being insignificant in the cell-free systems, PAI2 degradation was found predominantly cell-associated and could be described empirically by the first-order, exponential decay kinetics with the best-fit degradation constant ( k d) of 0.195 h −1. When similarly modeled with a first-order kinetics, PAI2 synthesis in stationary-phase wild-type culture was derived to have a synthesis constant ( k s) of 0.189 h −1. The PAI2 concentration in batch cultivation of the rhlR(−) mutant also showed an increase-then-decrease profile. However, the maximum PAI2 concentration was about one third of that from the wild-type culture. The constitutive rate of PAI2 synthesis was therefore significantly lower than the rate attainable with active auto-induction by RhlR–PAI2 complex.

Biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: role of the C4-HSL cell-to-cell signal and inhibition by azithromycin.

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, biofilm formation is controlled by a cell-to-cell signalling circuit relying on the secretion of 3-oxo-C12-HSL and C4-HSL. Previous studies suggested that C4-HSL plays no significant role in biofilm formation. However the wild-type PAO1 strain PAO-BI, used as a control in these studies is itself impaired in the production of C4-HSL. We wondered therefore whether the role of C4-HSL in biofilm formation might have been underestimated, and whether azithromycin inhibits biofilm formation by interfering with cell-to-cell signalling. We used isogenic mutants of wild-type PAO1 strains PAO-BI and PT5 in a static biofilm model. Biofilm formation was quantified using Crystal Violet staining and exopolysaccharide measurements. Wild-type strain PAO-BI, as a result of its reduced C4-HSL secretion, produced 40% less biofilm compared with the wild-type PAO1 strain PT5. Using isogenic mutants of strain PT5 we have shown that whereas a lasI mutant (deficient in 3-oxo-C12-HSL) produced similar amounts of biofilm to the wild-type, a rhlI mutant (deficient in C4-HSL) produced 70% less biofilm. In the latter strain, biofilm formation could be restored by addition of exogenous C4-HSL. Azithromycin, known to reduce the production of both 3-oxo-C12-HSL and C4-HSL, inhibited biofilm formation of wild-type PT5 by 45%. This inhibition could be reversed by the addition of both cell-to-cell signals. Our results indicate that C4-HSL also plays a significant role in biofilm formation. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of using cell-to-cell signalling blocking agents such as azithromycin to interfere with biofilm formation.

The alternative sigma factor RpoN regulates the quorum sensing gene rhlI in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The rhl quorum sensing (QS) circuit of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is known to regulate the expression of a number of virulence factors. This study investigates the regulation of rhlI, encoding the auto-inducer synthase RhlI responsible for the synthesis of N-butryl- L-homoserine lactone (BHL). A putative RpoN binding site was located upstream, in the promoter region of rhlI. Utilising a rhlI-lacZ transcriptional reporter, we demonstrate that under certain media conditions RpoN is a positive regulator of rhlI transcription. Measurements of BHL in extracted supernatant showed that the transcriptional patterns were reflected in the BHL levels, which were reduced in the rpoN mutant. Elastase and pyocyanin, known to be regulated by the rhl QS circuit, were shown to be reduced in a RpoN deficient strain. However, exogenous addition of BHL to the rpoN mutant did not restore these phenotypes suggesting that other regulatory factors apart from BHL are involved. Consistent with other rhl regulated phenotypes, we found that a rpoN mutant strain forms a biofilm that is different from that of the wild-type but similar to that displayed by a rhlI mutant.

Bacterial biofilms

Many bacteria have evolved specialized mechanisms to adhere to solid surfaces by forming glycocalyx-enriched biofilms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa can form biofilms on medical indwelling devices and in the lungs of most cystic fibrosis patients. Crucial to understanding biofilm structure and maintenance is deciphering how cells communicate within this complex community. Two cell–cell signalling systems, LasR/LasI and RhlR/RhlI (VsmR/VsmI), have been identified in P. aeruginosa. Why P. aeruginosa requires two such systems and the role(s) of each of these systems have been the subject of intense research in recent years. Davies et al.[ 1 Davies D.C. et al. The involvement of cell-to-cell signals in the development of a bacterial biofilm. Science. 1998; 280: 295-298 Crossref PubMed Scopus (2529) Google Scholar ]now report that LasI, which directs the synthesis of a diffusible extracellular signal [N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3OC12HSL)], plays a key role in the maintenance of P. aeruginosa biofilms. A lasI mutant formed a uniformly thin surface layer in contrast to the thick biofilms formed by an rhlI mutant and the wild-type strain. In the presence of 3OC12-HSL, the lasI biofilm was restored to normal cell density and thickness. In addition, the abnormal lasI biofilm was dispersed by exposure to 0.2% SDS, whereas a similar treatment had no detectable effect on the wild-type biofilm. Bacterial biofilms of mixed and individual species present significant economic problems in industry and medicine. Strategies designed to inhibit bacterial cell–cell signalling could aid in the control and eradication of unwanted biofilms.

Synthesis of multiple exoproducts in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is under the control of RhlR-RhlI, another set of regulators in strain PAO1 with homology to the autoinducer-responsive LuxR-LuxI family

Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 that were deficient in the ability to produce proteases that degrade casein were detected among the survivors of chemical mutagenesis. One such mutant (PDO31) showed reduced production of elastolytic activity, beta-hemolytic activity, and pyocyanin. A 4.3-kb EcoRI fragment from a gene bank of PAO1 that complemented defects in PDO31 was found. Transposon mutagenesis and deletion derivatives of the clone were used in conjunction with complementation tests to determine the physical location of the gene of interest. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame (rhlR) encoding a putative 27.6-kDa protein (RhlR) with homology to autoinducer-responsive regulators of quorum sensing systems such as LuxR of Vibrio fischeri and LasR of P. aeruginosa. Further sequence analysis downstream of rhlR revealed an independently transcribed gene (rhlI) that encodes a putative 22.2-kDa protein with homology to members of the family of autoinducer synthetases, such as LuxI of V. fischeri and LasI of P. aeruginosa. The rhlRI sequences were also recently reported by others (U.A. Ochsner and J. Reiser, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92: 6424-6428, 1995) as an autoinducer-mediated regulation mechanism for rhamnolipid biosurfactant synthesis in P. aeruginosa PG201. Mutants with defects in rhlR or rhlI were constructed in PAO1 by gene replacement, using clones modified by Tn501 insertion. Compared with the wild type, the rhlR and rhlI mutants both showed defects in the production of elastase, LasA protease, rhamnolipid, and pyocyanin. Transcription from the gene for elastase, as measured with a lasB-cat fusion, demonstrated that production of elastase was subject to cell density-dependent gene activation in PAO1. However, transcription of lasB-cat in the rhlI mutant, which had lost the presumptive autoinducer synthetase (predicted to activate RhlR), showed low basal activity and had lost all cell density-dependent transcription of lasB. Thus, RhlR-RhlI represent the second autoinducer-responsive regulatory mechanism found in P. aeruginosa that controls expression of multiple virulence factor exoproducts, including elastase.