Characterization of Quorum Sensing Signals in Coral-Associated Bacteria

• Published in: Microbial ecology 2011-05, Vol.61 (4), p.783-792
• Main Authors: Golberg, Karina, Eltzov, Evgeni, Shnit-Orland, Maya, Marks, Robert S., Kushmaro, Ariel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 4-Butyrolactone - analogs & derivatives; 4-Butyrolactone - metabolism; Agrobacterium tumefaciens; Animals; Anthozoa - microbiology; Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacteria - metabolism; Biofilms; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Corals; E coli; Ecology; Escherichia coli; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geoecology/Natural Processes; INVERTEBRATE MICROBIOLOGY; Lactones; Life Sciences; Liquid chromatography; Marine; Marine ecology; Marine ecosystems; Marine environment; Mass spectrometry; Microbial activity; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecules; Mucus; Nature Conservation; Phylogeny; Quorum Sensing; Signal Transduction; Thin layer chromatography; Vibrio; Water Quality/Water Pollution
• ISSN: 0095-3628; 1432-184X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00248-011-9848-1

Marine environment habitats, such as the coral mucus layer, are abundant in nutrients and rich with diverse populations of microorganisms. Since interactions among microorganisms found in coral mucus can be either mutualistic or competitive, understanding quorum sensing-based acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) language may shed light on the interaction between coral-associated microbial communities in the native host. More than 100 bacterial isolates obtained from different coral species were screened for their ability to produce AHL. When screening the isolated coral bacteria for AHL induction activity using the reporter strains Escherichia coli K802NR-pSB1075 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens KYC55, we found that approximately 30% of the isolates tested positive. Thin layer chromatography separation of supernatant extracts revealed different AHL profiles, with detection of at least one active compound in the supernatant of those bacterial extracts being able to induce AHL activity in the two different bioreporter strains. The active extract of bacterial isolate 3AT 1-10-4 was subjected to further analysis by preparative thin layer chromato graphy and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. One of the compounds was found to correspond with sequencing of the isolates with positive AHL activity affiliated them with the Vibrio genus. Understanding the ecological role of AHL in the coral environment and its regulatory circuits in the coral holobiont-associated microbial community will further expand our knowledge of such interactions.