Title: | Antagonistic self-sensing and mate-sensing signaling controls antibiotic-resistance transfer |
Author(s): | Chatterjee A; Cook LC; Shu CC; Chen Y; Manias DA; Ramkrishna D; Dunny GM; Hu WS; |
Address: | "Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1091-6490 (Electronic) 0027-8424 (Print) 0027-8424 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Conjugation is one of the most common ways bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance, contributing to the emergence of multidrug-resistant 'superbugs.' Bacteria of the genus Enterococcus faecalis are highly antibiotic-resistant nosocomial pathogens that use the mechanism of conjugation to spread antibiotic resistance between resistance-bearing donor cells and resistance-deficient recipient cells. Here, we report a unique quorum sensing-based communication system that uses two antagonistic signaling molecules to regulate conjugative transfer of tetracycline-resistance plasmid pCF10 in E. faecalis. A 'mate-sensing' peptide sex pheromone produced by recipient cells is detected by donor cells to induce conjugative genetic transfer. Using mathematical modeling and experimentation, we show that a second antagonistic 'self-sensing' signaling peptide, previously known to suppress self-induction of donor cells, also serves as a classic quorum-sensing signal for donors that functions to reduce antibiotic-resistance transfer at high donor density. This unique form of quorum sensing may provide a means of limiting the spread of the plasmid and present opportunities to control antibiotic-resistance transfer through manipulation of intercellular signaling, with implications in the clinical setting" |
Keywords: | "Conjugation, Genetic/*physiology Drug Resistance, Bacterial/*genetics/physiology Enterococcus faecalis/*genetics/physiology *Models, Biological Plasmids/genetics Protein Sorting Signals/*genetics Quorum Sensing/*physiology Real-Time Polymerase Chain React;" |
Notes: | "MedlineChatterjee, Anushree Cook, Laura C C Shu, Che-Chi Chen, Yuqing Manias, Dawn A Ramkrishna, Doraiswami Dunny, Gary M Hu, Wei-Shou eng T32 GM008347/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM081388/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ GM49530/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM049530/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ GM081888/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ T32GM008347/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2013/04/10 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 23; 110(17):7086-90. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1212256110. Epub 2013 Apr 8" |