Interspecific bacterial sensing through airborne signals modulates locomotion and drug resistance

• Published in: Nature communications 2013, Vol.4 (1), p.1809, Article 1809
• Main Authors: Kim, Kwang-sun, Lee, Soohyun, Ryu, Choong-Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/208; 631/326/41/1969; 631/92/604; Airborne sensing; Ampicillin - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Bacillus subtilis; Bacillus subtilis - metabolism; Bacteria; DNA microarrays; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - drug effects; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Drug Resistance, Microbial - drug effects; Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics; E coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli Proteins - genetics; Escherichia coli Proteins - metabolism; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial - drug effects; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Glyoxylic acid; Humanities and Social Sciences; Identities; Kinetics; Locomotion; Locomotion - drug effects; Locomotion - genetics; multidisciplinary; Organic compounds; Phenotype; Phenotypes; Physiological effects; Physiology; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Regulatory mechanisms (biology); Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Signal Transduction - drug effects; Signal Transduction - genetics; SoxS protein; Species Specificity; Transcription factors; VOCs; Volatile compounds; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - pharmacology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2789

Bacteria use chemical signals to sense each other and to regulate various physiological functions. Although it is known that some airborne volatile organic compounds function as bacterial signalling molecules, their identities and effects on global gene expression and bacterial physiological processes remain largely unknown. Here we perform microarray analyses of Escherichia coli exposed to volatile organic compounds emitted from Bacillus subtilis . We find that 2,3-butanedione and glyoxylic acid mediate global changes in gene expression related to motility and antibiotic resistance. Volatile organic compound-dependent phenotypes are conserved among bacteria and are regulated by the previously uncharacterized ypdB gene product through the downstream transcription factors soxS , rpoS or yjhU . These results strongly suggest that bacteria use airborne volatile organic compounds to sense other bacteria and to change master regulatory gene activity to adapt. Microbes use small molecules to sense and communicate with other cells and species. Kim et al . now demonstrate that volatile compounds emitted by Bacillus subtilis can affect Escherichia coli motility and antibiotic resistance through activation of a conserved regulatory mechanism.