Genomic and molecular characterization of a novel quorum sensing molecule in Bacillus licheniformis

Abstract

Quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) are involved in the regulation of complicated processes helping bacterial populations respond to changes in their cell-density. Although the QS gene cluster (comQXPA) has been identified in the genome sequence of some bacilli, the QS system B. licheniformis has not been investigated in detail, and its QSM (ComX pheromone) has not been identified. Given the importance of this antagonistic bacterium as an industrial workhorse, this study was aimed to elucidate B. licheniformis NCIMB-8874 QS. The results obtained from bioinformatics studies on the whole genome sequence of this strain confirmed the presence of essential quorum sensing-related genes. Although polymorphism was verified in three proteins of this cluster, ComQ, precursor-ComX and ComP, the transcription factor ComA was confirmed as the most conserved protein. The cell–cell communication of B. licheniformis NCIMB-8874 was investigated through further elucidation of the ComX pheromone as 13-amino acid peptide. The peptide sequence of the pheromone has been described through biochemical characterisation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13568-017-0381-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The manifold roles of microbial ribosomal peptide–based natural products in physiology and ecology

“…ComX pheromones derived from the comQXPA system of B. subtilis regulate genetic competence, surfactin production, and biofilm formation ( Table 1). They are short peptides (4 -13 amino acids) with a conserved, modified Trp residue that is formed upon isoprenylation and cyclization (157,158) (Fig. 2).…”

Research on the Regulation of Plipastatin Production by the Quorum-Sensing ComQXPA System of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

“…For example, the sequence similarity between B. subtilis and B. licheniformis was only 62%. 32 Sequence analysis revealed that the QS of B. amyloliquefaciens was only 47%, similar to the ComQXPA of M-24. The function of Amy-QXPA has been confirmed successfully in plipastatin monoproducing engineered strain M-24, but whether it could function and regulate the production of plipastatin dynamically in B. subtilis is still unknown.…”

Intraspecific and interspecific extracellular metabolites remodel biofilms formed by thermophilic spoilage bacteria

“…QS in Bacillus species is mediated by small peptides based on two‐component regulatory systems that control competence, sporulation and the production of certain secondary metabolites in a cell‐density dependent fashion (Sturme et al, 2002; van Gestel et al, 2012). Esmaeilishirazifard et al (2017) detected a novel QS molecule of B . licheniformis NCIMB‐8874 to be a 10‐amino‐acid component of the ComX precursor.…”