The interference of nonylphenol with bacterial cell-to-cell communication

Thilini Jayaprada; Jingming Hu; Yunyun Zhang; Huajun Feng; Dongsheng Shen; Sudarshanee Geekiyanage; Yanlai Yao; Meizhen Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113352

The interference of nonylphenol with bacterial cell-to-cell communication

Environ Pollut. 2020 Feb:257:113352. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113352. Epub 2019 Oct 12.

Authors

Thilini Jayaprada¹, Jingming Hu¹, Yunyun Zhang¹, Huajun Feng², Dongsheng Shen², Sudarshanee Geekiyanage³, Yanlai Yao⁴, Meizhen Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China.
² School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Hangzhou 310012, China.
³ Department of Agricultural Biology, University of Ruhuna, Mapalana, Kamburupitiya, 81100, Sri Lanka.
⁴ Institute of Environment Resource, Soil and Fertilizer, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
⁵ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Hangzhou 310012, China. Electronic address: wmz@zjgsu.edu.cn.

PMID: 31672371
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113352

Abstract

The interference of nonylphenol (NP) with humans and animals, especially in hormone systems, has been well-studied. There is rarely any record of its effect on bacteria, which dominate in various environments. In our study, we employed Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 as a model microorganism and took its common lifestyle biofilm, mainly regulated by quorum sensing (QS), as a cut-in point to investigate the effect of NP (1, 5, 10 mg L^-1) on bacteria. The results showed that more than 5 mg L^-1 of NP did interfere with biofilm formation and affected bacterial QS. In detail, the LasI/R circuit, but not the RhlI/R circuit, was considerably obstructed. The decrease in lasI and lasR expression resulted in a significant reduction in N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone (3OC₁₂-HSL) signals and the downstream production of elastases. Docking results indicated the binding of NP with LasR protein, simulating the binding of 3OC₁₂-HSL with LasR protein, which explained the obstruction of the LasIR circuit. We concluded that NP competed with 3OC₁₂-HSL and blocked 3OC₁₂-HSL binding with the LasR protein, resulting in a direct interference in bacterial biofilm formation. This is the first report of NP interference with bacterial signaling, which is not only helpful to understand the effect of NP on various ecosystems, but is also beneficial to enrich our knowledge of inter-kingdom communication.

Keywords: Cell-to-cell communication; LasR protein; Nonylphenol; Quorum sensing.

MeSH terms

4-Butyrolactone / analogs & derivatives
4-Butyrolactone / genetics
Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
Biofilms / drug effects*
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / drug effects
Phenols / toxicity*
Pseudomonas aeruginosa / drug effects*
Pseudomonas aeruginosa / genetics
Quorum Sensing / drug effects*

Substances

Bacterial Proteins
Phenols
homoserine lactone
nonylphenol
4-Butyrolactone