Disruption ofN‐acyl‐homoserine lactone‐specific signalling and virulence in clinical pathogens by marine sponge bacteria

Abstract

Summary In recent years, the marine environment has been the subject of increasing attention from biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. A combination of unique physicochemical properties and spatial niche‐specific substrates, in wide‐ranging and extreme habitats, underscores the potential of the marine environment to deliver on functionally novel bioactivities. One such area of ongoing research is the discovery of compounds that interfere with the cell–cell signalling process called quorum sensing (QS). Described as the next generation of antimicrobials, these compounds can target virulence and persistence of clinically relevant pathogens, independent of any growth‐limiting effects. Marine sponges are a rich source of microbial diversity, with dynamic populations in a symbiotic relationship. In this study, we have harnessed the QS inhibition (QSI) potential of marine sponge microbiota and through culture‐based discovery have uncovered small molecule signal mimics that neutralize virulence phenotypes in clinical pathogens. This study describes for the first time a marine sponge Psychrobacter sp. isolate B98C22 that blocks QS signalling, while also reporting dual QS/QSI activity in the Pseudoalteromonas sp. J10 and ParacoccusJM45. Isolation of novel QSI activities has significant potential for future therapeutic development, of particular relevance in the light of the pending perfect storm of antibiotic resistance meeting antibiotic drug discovery decline.

Genome Sequence of Paracoccus sp. JM45, a Bacterial Strain Isolated from a Marine Sponge with a Dual Quorum Sensing Inhibition Activity

“…Two potential acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-based quorum sensing systems were found in scaffolds 7 and 18. Both systems are related to the production of long-chain AHLs, consistent with our previous finding of AHL-based QS activity in this isolate (7), which was confirmed using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 biosensor strain (12). In the context of QSI properties, a penicillin amidase enzyme with potential for AHL degradation was encoded in scaffold 1.…”

“…strain JM45 from a marine sponge, we followed a protocol previously described with minor modifications in the use of SYP-SW (soluble starch, yeast extract, peptone-seawater) medium and marine agar (Difco) (6). We previously reported QS and quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) properties for this bacterial strain (7). Therefore, here, we announce the genome sequence of Paracoccus sp.…”

Population structure and microbial community diversity of two common tetillid sponges in a tropical reef lagoon

“…Bacteria-bacteria interactions may play a role in structuring the sponge microbial community. Some sponge-associated bacteria can inhibit the growth of other members of the community through the production of various compounds and regulatory signals (Esteves, Cullen & Thomas, 2017;Gutiérrez-Barranquero et al, 2017). For instance, Bdellovibrio, which is enriched in Paratetilla sp., is an active predator of other microorganisms and produces compounds that attack the cell walls of other bacteria (Beck et al, 2004).…”

Saline Environments as a Source of Potential Quorum Sensing Disruptors to Control Bacterial Infections: A Review

“…Mechanisms of QS interference, QSI and QQ, have been investigated in numerous marine organisms (reviews: [216,217,218]): micro-algae [219], macro-algae [80], invertebrates [220], fungi [221], and marine bacteria [214]. With respect to microorganisms, numerous data on QSI and QQ have been obtained from marine bacterial strains isolated from specific habitats such as aquaculture tank seawater [104,106], sediments [214,222], sponges [220,223,224], cnidarians [105], seagrass [225], and marine algae [226]. Some authors have also studied the occurrence of QQ and QSI in metagenomes obtained from diverse seawater samples from different depths and sampling places [111,114,215].…”