Chatterjee Priyanka, Consoli Caroline E, Schiller Heather, Winter Kiersten K, McCallum Monica E, Schulze Stefan, Pohlschroder Mechthild
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
mBio. 2025 Jun 18:e0090625. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00906-25.
Quorum sensing (QS) is a population density-dependent mechanism of intercellular communication, whereby microbes secrete and detect signals to regulate behaviors such as virulence and biofilm formation. Although QS is well-studied in bacteria, little is known about cell-cell communication in archaea. The model archaeon can transition from motile rod-shaped cells to non-motile disks as population density increases. In this report, we demonstrate that this transition is induced by a secreted small molecule present in cell-free conditioned medium (CM). The CM also elicits a response from a bacterial QS bioreporter, suggesting the potential for inter-domain crosstalk. To investigate the QS response, we performed quantitative proteomics and detected significant differential abundances of 236 proteins in the presence of CM, including proteins involved in cell structure, motility, glycosylation, and two-component systems. We also demonstrate that a mutant lacking the cell shape regulatory factor DdfA does not undergo shape and motility transitions in the presence of CM, allowing us to identify protein abundance changes in the QS response pathway separate from those involved in shape and motility. In the ∆ strain, only 110 proteins had significant differential abundance, and comparative analysis of these two proteomics experiments enabled us to identify proteins dependent on and independent of DdfA in the QS response pathway. Our study provides the first detailed analysis of QS pathways in any archaeon, strengthening our understanding of archaeal communication as well as providing the framework for studying intra- and interdomain crosstalk.
Understanding the complex signaling networks in microbial communities has led to many invaluable applications in medicine and industry. Yet, while archaea are ubiquitous and play key roles in nutrient cycling, little is known about the roles of archaeal intra- and interspecies cell-cell communication in environments such as the human, soil, and marine microbiomes. In this study, we established the first robust system for studying quorum sensing in archaea by using the model archaeon . We demonstrated that different behaviors, such as cell shape and motility, are mediated by a signal molecule, and we uncovered key regulatory components of the signaling pathway. This work advances our understanding of microbial communication, shedding light on archaeal intra- and interdomain interactions, and contributes to a more complete picture of the interconnected networks of life on Earth.
群体感应（QS）是一种细胞间通讯的群体密度依赖性机制，微生物通过分泌和检测信号来调节诸如毒力和生物膜形成等行为。虽然QS在细菌中已得到充分研究，但古菌中的细胞间通讯却知之甚少。作为模式古菌，随着群体密度增加，其可从运动性杆状细胞转变为非运动性圆盘状细胞。在本报告中，我们证明这种转变是由无细胞条件培养基（CM）中存在的一种分泌型小分子诱导的。该CM还能引发细菌QS生物报告基因的反应，这表明存在域间串扰的可能性。为研究QS反应，我们进行了定量蛋白质组学分析，并在存在CM的情况下检测到236种蛋白质存在显著差异丰度，包括参与细胞结构、运动性、糖基化和双组分系统的蛋白质。我们还证明，缺乏细胞形状调节因子DdfA的突变体在存在CM的情况下不会发生形状和运动性转变，这使我们能够识别QS反应途径中与形状和运动性无关的蛋白质丰度变化。在Δ菌株中，只有110种蛋白质有显著差异丰度，对这两个蛋白质组学实验的比较分析使我们能够识别QS反应途径中依赖和不依赖DdfA的蛋白质。我们的研究首次对任何古菌中的QS途径进行了详细分析，加强了我们对古菌通讯的理解，并为研究域内和域间串扰提供了框架。
了解微生物群落中的复杂信号网络已在医学和工业中带来了许多宝贵应用。然而，尽管古菌无处不在且在营养循环中发挥关键作用，但对于古菌种内和种间细胞间通讯在人类、土壤和海洋微生物群落等环境中的作用却知之甚少。在本研究中，我们通过使用模式古菌建立了首个用于研究古菌群体感应的可靠系统。我们证明不同行为，如细胞形状和运动性，是由一种信号分子介导的，并且我们揭示了信号通路的关键调节成分。这项工作推进了我们对微生物通讯的理解，阐明了古菌域内和域间相互作用，并有助于更全面地了解地球上生命的相互连接网络。
