GABA controls the level of quorum-sensing signal in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 9;103(19):7460-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0600313103. Epub 2006 Apr 27.

Abstract

The concentration of GABA increases rapidly in wounded plant tissues, but the implication of this GABA pulse for plant-bacteria interactions is not known. Here we reveal that GABA stimulated the inactivation of the N-(3-oxooctanoyl)homoserine lactone (OC8-HSL) quorum-sensing signal (or "quormone") by the Agrobacterium lactonase AttM. GABA induced the expression of the attKLM operon, which was correlated to a decrease in OC8-HSL concentration in Agrobacterium tumefaciens cultures. The Agrobacterium GABA transporter Bra was required for this GABA-signaling pathway. Furthermore, transgenic tobacco plants with elevated GABA levels were less sensitive to A. tumefaciens C58 infection than were wild-type plants. These findings indicate that plant GABA may modulate quorum sensing in A. tumefaciens, thereby affecting its virulence on plants. Whereas GABA is an essential cell-to-cell signal in eukaryotes, here we provide evidence of GABA acting as a signal between eukaryotes and pathogenic bacteria. The GABA signal represents a potential target for the development of a strategy to control the virulence of bacterial pathogens.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 4-Butyrolactone / analogs & derivatives*
  • 4-Butyrolactone / metabolism
  • Acetophenones / pharmacology
  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens / drug effects*
  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens / metabolism*
  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens / pathogenicity
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / drug effects
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase / genetics
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase / metabolism
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nicotiana / genetics
  • Nicotiana / metabolism
  • Nicotiana / microbiology
  • Operon / genetics
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / chemistry
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Acetophenones
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • N-(3-oxooctanoyl)homoserine lactone
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
  • acetosyringone
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase
  • 4-Butyrolactone