AUTHOR=Zhang Yani , Qin Jing , Tan Boren , Kong Weina , Chen Gukui , Zhang Chao , Liang Haihua 

TITLE=The P-Type ATPase PA1429 Regulates Quorum-Sensing Systems and Bacterial Virulence

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2017

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02449

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.02449

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</italic> is becoming an increasingly prevalent pathogen, capable of causing numerous life threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. The three hierarchically arranged quorum sensing (QS) systems, namely <italic>las, rhl</italic>, and <italic>pqs</italic> play key roles in coordinating virulence expression in <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic>. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the <italic>pqs</italic> system have not been fully elucidated. To identify new genes involved in synthesis of the <italic>Pseudomonas</italic> quinolone signal (PQS), a transposon mutagenesis library was constructed. PA1429 was found to inhibit PQS biosynthesis. The PA1429 deletion mutant also exhibited increased bacterial motility, biofilm formation, and virulence in a mouse model of acute lung infection. Interestingly, it also displayed reduced tolerance to oxidative stress. Mutated <italic>pqsH</italic> in the PA1429 deletion background restored bacterial susceptibility to H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. In addition, our data showed that PA1429 repressed the expression of <italic>las</italic> and <italic>rhl</italic> systems. Overall, these results provide new insights into the complex regulatory networks of quorum-sensing and virulence expression in <italic>P. aeruginosa.</italic></p>