Journal Article

Host monitoring of quorum sensing during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

Lozza, Laura, Oschkinat, Hartmut, Stinn, Anne, Guhlich-Bornhof, Ute, Kirschhoefer, Frank, Weiner, January, Krause, Gerd, Klemm, Marion, Kaufmann, Stefan H. E., Saikali, Philippe, Perdomo, Carolina, Furkert, Jens, Mollenkopf, Hans J., Kolbe, Michael, Protze, Jonas, Puyskens, Andreas, Kreuchwig, Annika, Hurwitz, Robert, Dorhoi, Anca, Pei, Gang, Brenner-Weiss, Gerald, Moura-Alves, Pedro

2019

Overview

Many bacteria produce small molecules for monitoring population density and thus regulating their collective behavior, a process termed quorum sensing. Pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa , which complicates cystic fibrosis disease, produce different quorum-sensing ligands at different stages of infection. Moura-Alves et al. used experiments in human cells, zebrafish, and mice to show that a host organism can eavesdrop on these bacterial conversations. A host sensor responds differentially to bacterial quorum-sensing molecules to activate or repress different response pathways. The ability to “listen in” on bacterial signaling provides the host with the capacity to fine-tune physiologically costly immune responses. Science , this issue p. eaaw1629 The host xenobiotic sensor quantitatively recognizes bacterial small molecules to regulate host responses. Pseudomonas aeruginosa rapidly adapts to altered conditions by quorum sensing (QS), a communication system that it uses to collectively modify its behavior through the production, release, and detection of signaling molecules. QS molecules can also be sensed by hosts, although the respective receptors and signaling pathways are poorly understood. We describe a pattern of regulation in the host by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) that is critically dependent on qualitative and quantitative sensing of P. aeruginosa quorum. QS molecules bind to AhR and distinctly modulate its activity. This is mirrored upon infection with P. aeruginosa collected from diverse growth stages and with QS mutants. We propose that by spying on bacterial quorum, AhR acts as a major sensor of infection dynamics, capable of orchestrating host defense according to the status quo of infection.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: A549 Cells / Animals / Aromatic compounds / Bacteria / Bacterial diseases / Bacterial infections / Biofilms / Cell interactions / Chemical communication / Communication / Communications systems / Crosstalk / Cystic fibrosis / Danio rerio / Detection / Disease / Eavesdropping / Energy expenditure / Espionage / Gene expression / Group Behavior / Homoserine lactones / Host-Pathogen Interactions / Humans / Hydrocarbons / Immune clearance / Immune response / In vivo methods and tests / Infections / Infectious diseases / Inflammation / Lactones / Larva / Ligands / Macrophages - microbiology / Mice / Mice, Knockout / Monitoring / Pathogens / Population density / Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Pseudomonas aeruginosa - genetics / Pseudomonas aeruginosa - pathogenicity / Pseudomonas Infections - microbiology / Pyocyanin / Quinolones / Quorum sensing / Quorum Sensing - genetics / Quorum Sensing - physiology / Receptors / Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - genetics / Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - physiology / RESEARCH ARTICLE SUMMARY / Sensors / Signal transduction / Signaling / Tradeoffs / Virulence / Virulence factors / Zebrafish