TY - JOUR
T1 - Antagonistic self-sensing and mate-sensing signaling controls antibiotic-resistance transfer
AU - Chatterjee, Anushree
AU - Cook, Laura C C
AU - Shu, Che Chi
AU - Chen, Yuqing
AU - Manias, Dawn A.
AU - Ramkrishna, Doraiswami
AU - Dunny, Gary M.
AU - Hu, Wei Shou
PY - 2013/4/23
Y1 - 2013/4/23
N2 - 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 con-jugative 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.
AB - 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 con-jugative 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.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1212256110
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1212256110
M3 - Article
C2 - 23569272
AN - SCOPUS:84876828969
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 110
SP - 7086
EP - 7090
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 17
ER -