Title |
Pyocyanin Restricts Social Cheating in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
|
---|---|
Published in |
Frontiers in Microbiology, June 2018
|
DOI | 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01348 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Paulina Castañeda-Tamez, Jimena Ramírez-Peris, Judith Pérez-Velázquez, Christina Kuttler, Ammar Jalalimanesh, Miguel Á. Saucedo-Mora, J. Guillermo Jiménez-Cortés, Toshinari Maeda, Yael González, María Tomás, Thomas K. Wood, Rodolfo García-Contreras |
Abstract |
Quorum sensing (QS) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa coordinates the expression of virulence factors, such as exoproteases and siderophores, that are public goods utilized by the whole population of bacteria, regardless of whether they invested or not in their production. These public goods can be used by QS defective mutants for growth, and since these mutants do not contribute to public goods production, they are considered social cheaters. Pyocyanin is a phenazine that is a toxic, QS-controlled metabolite produced by P. aeruginosa. It is a redox-active compound and promotes the generation of reactive oxygen species; it also possesses antibacterial properties and increases fitness in competition with other bacterial species. Since QS-deficient individuals are less able to tolerate oxidative stress, we hypothesized that the pyocyanin produced by the wild-type population could promote selection of functional QS systems in this bacterium. Here, we demonstrate, using competition experiments and mathematical models, that, indeed, pyocyanin increases the fitness of the cooperative QS-proficient individuals and restricts the appearance of social cheaters. In addition, we also show that pyocyanin is able to select QS in other bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii. |
X Demographics
As of 1 July 2024, you may notice a temporary increase in the numbers of X profiles with Unknown location. Click here to learn more.
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Netherlands | 1 | 17% |
Switzerland | 1 | 17% |
Mexico | 1 | 17% |
Spain | 1 | 17% |
Unknown | 2 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Scientists | 4 | 67% |
Members of the public | 2 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 114 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 15 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 14 | 12% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 13 | 11% |
Student > Master | 13 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 4% |
Other | 16 | 14% |
Unknown | 38 | 33% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 20 | 18% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 16 | 14% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 14 | 12% |
Chemistry | 4 | 4% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 4% |
Other | 12 | 11% |
Unknown | 44 | 39% |