Production of the antifungal compound pyrrolnitrin is quorum sensing-regulated in members of Burkholderia cepacia complex

Christoph Stephan Schmidt, J. Blom, J. Pernthaler, Gabriele Berg, A. Baldwin, E. Mahenthiralingam, L. Eberl

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Members of the genus Burkholderia are known for their ability to suppress soil‐borne fungal pathogens by the production of various antibiotic compounds. In this study we investigated the role of N‐acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)‐dependent quorum sensing (QS) in the expression of antifungal traits. Using a quorum quenching approach, that is, by heterologous expression of the Bacillus sp. AiiA lactonase, we show that expression of antifungal activities is AHL‐dependent in the large majority of the investigated strains belonging to various Burkholderia species. We demonstrate that in certain strains of Burkholderia ambifaria, Burkholderia pyrrocinia and Burkholderia lata, one of the QS‐regulated antifungal agents is pyrrolnitrin (prn), a common broad‐spectrum antibiotic that is also produced by some Pseudomonas and Serratia species. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of AHL‐dependent prn …
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1422-1437
JournalEnvironmental Microbiology
Volume11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Treatment code (Nähere Zuordnung)

  • Basic - Fundamental (Grundlagenforschung)

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