TY - JOUR
T1 - Strain-specific quorum-sensing responses determine virulence properties in Vibrio anguillarum
AU - Mauritzen, Jesper Juel
AU - Søndberg, Emilie
AU - Kalatzis, Panos G.
AU - Roager, Line
AU - Gram, Lone
AU - Svenningsen, Sine Lo
AU - Middelboe, Mathias
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Bacterial populations communicate using quorum sensing (QS) molecules and switch on QS regulation to engage in coordinated behavior such as biofilm formation or virulence. The marine fish pathogen Vibrio anguillarum harbors several QS systems, and our understanding of its QS regulation is still fragmentary. Here, we identify the VanT-QS regulon and explore the diversity and trajectory of traits under QS regulation in Vibrio anguillarum through comparative transcriptomics of two wildtype strains and their corresponding mutants artificially locked in QS-on (ΔvanO) or QS-off (ΔvanT) states. Intriguingly, the two wildtype populations showed different QS responses to cell density changes, and operated primarily in the QS-on and QS-off spectrum, respectively. Examining 27 V. anguillarum strains revealed that ~11 negative, and GFP-reporter measurements of nine QS-positive strains revealed a highly strain-specific nature of the QS responses. We showed that QS controls a plethora of genes involved in processes such as central metabolism, biofilm formation, competence, T6SS, and virulence properties in V. anguillarum, with large strain-specific differences. Moreover, we demonstrated that the QS state is an important driver of virulence towards fish larvae in one of two V. anguillarum strains. We speculate that infections by mixed-strain communities spanning diverse QS strategies optimize the infection efficiency of the pathogen.
AB - Bacterial populations communicate using quorum sensing (QS) molecules and switch on QS regulation to engage in coordinated behavior such as biofilm formation or virulence. The marine fish pathogen Vibrio anguillarum harbors several QS systems, and our understanding of its QS regulation is still fragmentary. Here, we identify the VanT-QS regulon and explore the diversity and trajectory of traits under QS regulation in Vibrio anguillarum through comparative transcriptomics of two wildtype strains and their corresponding mutants artificially locked in QS-on (ΔvanO) or QS-off (ΔvanT) states. Intriguingly, the two wildtype populations showed different QS responses to cell density changes, and operated primarily in the QS-on and QS-off spectrum, respectively. Examining 27 V. anguillarum strains revealed that ~11 negative, and GFP-reporter measurements of nine QS-positive strains revealed a highly strain-specific nature of the QS responses. We showed that QS controls a plethora of genes involved in processes such as central metabolism, biofilm formation, competence, T6SS, and virulence properties in V. anguillarum, with large strain-specific differences. Moreover, we demonstrated that the QS state is an important driver of virulence towards fish larvae in one of two V. anguillarum strains. We speculate that infections by mixed-strain communities spanning diverse QS strategies optimize the infection efficiency of the pathogen.
U2 - 10.1111/1462-2920.16356
DO - 10.1111/1462-2920.16356
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36807464
SN - 1462-2912
VL - 25
SP - 1344
EP - 1362
JO - Environmental Microbiology
JF - Environmental Microbiology
IS - 7
ER -
