Gökalsın Barış, Aksoydan Busecan, Erman Burak, Sesal Nüzhet Cenk
Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Department of Biophysics, Institute of Health Sciences, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Microb Ecol. 2017 Aug;74(2):466-473. doi: 10.1007/s00248-017-0949-3. Epub 2017 Mar 2.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa can regulate its virulence gene expressions by using a signal system called quorum sensing. It is known that inhibition of quorum sensing can block biofilm formation and leave the bacteria defenseless. Therefore, it is necessary to determine natural sources to obtain potential quorum sensing inhibitors. This study aims to investigate an alternative treatment approach by utilizing the carotenoid zeaxanthin to reduce the expressions of P. aeruginosa virulence factors through quorum sensing inhibition. The inhibition potential of zeaxanthin was determined by in silico screening from a library of 638 lichen metabolites. Fluorescent monitor strains were utilized for quorum sensing inhibitor screens, and quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR assay was performed for evaluating gene expression. Results indicate that zeaxanthin is a better inhibitor than the lichen secondary metabolite evernic acid, which was previously shown to be capable of inhibiting P. aeruginosa quorum sensing systems.
铜绿假单胞菌可通过一种名为群体感应的信号系统来调节其毒力基因表达。已知抑制群体感应可阻止生物膜形成并使细菌失去防御能力。因此，有必要确定获取潜在群体感应抑制剂的天然来源。本研究旨在探索一种替代治疗方法，即利用类胡萝卜素玉米黄质通过抑制群体感应来降低铜绿假单胞菌毒力因子的表达。通过对638种地衣代谢产物文库进行计算机筛选来确定玉米黄质的抑制潜力。利用荧光监测菌株进行群体感应抑制剂筛选，并进行定量逆转录酶PCR分析以评估基因表达。结果表明，玉米黄质是一种比地衣次生代谢产物扁枝衣酸更好的抑制剂，此前已证明扁枝衣酸能够抑制铜绿假单胞菌的群体感应系统。
