Abstract
Quorum sensing regulates the expression of virulence factors in a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria. This study has shown that Proteus mirabilis harbours a homologue of luxS, a gene required for the synthesis of the quorum sensing autoinducer 2 (AI-2). AI-2 activity is expressed during and is correlated with the initiation of swarming migration on agar surfaces. The P. mirabilis luxS locus was cloned and a LuxS(-) strain constructed by allelic-exchange mutagenesis. While lacking AI-2 activity, a null mutation in luxS, however, did not affect swimming or swarming motility, swarmer cell differentiation, or virulence in a mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection.
Publication types
-
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
-
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
-
Animals
-
Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
-
Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
-
Carbon-Sulfur Lyases
-
Female
-
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
-
Homoserine / analogs & derivatives*
-
Homoserine / genetics*
-
Homoserine / metabolism*
-
Lactones / metabolism*
-
Mice
-
Molecular Sequence Data
-
Mutation
-
Proteus Infections / microbiology
-
Proteus mirabilis / pathogenicity*
-
Proteus mirabilis / physiology*
-
Signal Transduction
-
Urinary Tract Infections / microbiology
-
Virulence
Substances
-
Bacterial Proteins
-
Lactones
-
N-octanoylhomoserine lactone
-
Homoserine
-
Carbon-Sulfur Lyases
-
LuxS protein, Bacteria