Journal article
Quorum-sensing signals indicate that cystic fibrosis lungs are infected with bacterial biofilms
Nature (London), Vol.407(6805), pp.762-764
2000
DOI: 10.1038/35037627
PMID: 11048725
Abstract
The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa permanently colonizes cystic fibrosis lungs despite aggressive antibiotic treatment1,2,3. This suggests that P. aeruginosa might exist as biofilms—structured communities of bacteria encased in a self-produced polymeric matrix—in the cystic fibrosis lung1,4. Consistent with this hypothesis, microscopy of cystic fibrosis sputum shows that P. aeruginosa are in biofilm-like structures. P. aeruginosa uses extracellular quorum-sensing signals (extracellular chemical signals that cue cell-density-dependent gene expression) to coordinate biofilm formation5. Here we found that cystic fibrosis sputum produces the two principal P. aeruginosa quorum-sensing signals; however, the relative abundance of these signals was opposite to that of the standard P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 in laboratory broth culture. When P. aeruginosa sputum isolates were grown in broth, some showed quorum-sensing signal ratios like those of the laboratory strain. When we grew these isolates and PAO1 in a laboratory biofilm model, the signal ratios were like those in cystic fibrosis sputum. Our data support the hypothesis that P. aeruginosa are in a biofilm in cystic fibrosis sputum. Moreover, quorum-sensing signal profiling of specific P. aeruginosa strains may serve as a biomarker in screens to identify agents that interfere with biofilm development.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Quorum-sensing signals indicate that cystic fibrosis lungs are infected with bacterial biofilms
- Creators
- Pradeep K SINGH - Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesAmy L SCHAEFER - Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesMatthew R PARSEK - Department of Civil Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United StatesThomas O MONINGER - Central Microscopy Research Facility, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesMichael J WELSH - Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesE. P GREENBERG - Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nature (London), Vol.407(6805), pp.762-764
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing; London
- DOI
- 10.1038/35037627
- PMID
- 11048725
- ISSN
- 0028-0836
- eISSN
- 1476-4687
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2000
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Neurosurgery; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984020761702771
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