Title: | Pheromone Activity after Stimulation with Ampicillin in a Plasmid-Free Enterococcus faecalis Strain |
Author(s): | Arellano-Galindo J; Zavala-Vega S; Vazquez-Larios R; Ochoa SA; Cruz-Cordova A; Sierra-Santoyo A; Lopez-Gonzalez L; Hernandez-Castro R; Giono-Cerezo S; Xicohtencatl-Cortes J; |
Address: | "Laboratorio de Bacteriologia Medica, Departamento de Microbiologia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Ciudad de Mexico 11340, Mexico. Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Quimico Biologicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Ciudad de Mexico 11340, Mexico. Laboratorio de Virologia Clinica y Experimental, Unidad de Investigacion en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, Ciudad de Mexico 06720, Mexico. Laboratorio de Neuropatologia, Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia Manuel Velasco Suarez, Ciudad de Mexico 14269, Mexico. Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico. Laboratorio de Investigacion en Bacteriologia Intestinal, Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, Ciudad de Mexico 06720, Mexico. Laboratorio de Toxicologia de Plaguicidas y Disrupcion Endocrina, CINVESTAV IPN, Ciudad de Mexico 07360, Mexico. Departamento de Ecologia de Agentes Patogenos, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico" |
DOI: | 10.3390/microorganisms10112294 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 2076-2607 (Print) 2076-2607 (Electronic) 2076-2607 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Enterococci exhibit clumping under the selective pressure of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of supernatants from a plasmid-free clone (C29) of Enterococcus faecalis subjected to 0.25x, 0.5x, and 0.75x of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ampicillin on the expression of an aggregation substance (AS) by a donor plasmid clone (1390R). A clumping assay was performed. The relative expression of prgB (gene that encodes AS) was determined and semiquantified in 1390R, and iad1 expression was determined and semiquantified in C29. AS expression was analyzed in the stimulated 1390R cells by confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and ELISA. Adherence was also measured. Maximal clumping was observed with the pheromone medium 0.25x. Only the 1390R strain stimulated with the C29 supernatant without ampicillin and with 0.25x was able to express prgB. No expression of prgB was observed at 0.5x and 0.75x. The difference in relative expression (RE) of 1390R without ampicillin and with 0.25x was 0.5-fold. AS expression in 1390R showed the greatest increase upon stimulation with 0.25x. When 1390R was stimulated with 0.5x and 0.75x, AS expression was also observed but was significantly lower. Ampicillin stimulated C29 switch-off pheromone expression in recipient cells, which in turn switched off AS expression in donor cells. We observed that although prgB was switched off after 0.5x stimulation in C29, the supernatants induced expression in certain 1390R strains. In conclusion, ampicillin was able to modulate pheromone expression in free plasmid clones which, in turn, modulated AS expression in plasmid donor cells. The fact that PrgB gene expression was switched off after the ampicillin stimulus at 0.5x MIC, whereas AS proteins were present on the surface of the bacteria, suggested that a mechanism of rescue associated with mechanism pheromone sensing may be involved" |
Keywords: | aggregation substances ampicillin antimicrobial resistance pheromones plasmid; |
Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEArellano-Galindo, Jose Zavala-Vega, Sergio Vazquez-Larios, Rosario Ochoa, Sara A Cruz-Cordova, Ariadnna Sierra-Santoyo, Adolfo Lopez-Gonzalez, Lourdes Hernandez-Castro, Rigoberto Giono-Cerezo, Silvia Xicohtencatl-Cortes, Juan eng HIM/2017/015 SSA.1337/Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez/ Switzerland 2022/11/25 Microorganisms. 2022 Nov 19; 10(11):2294. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10112294" |