Quorum sensing (QS) is a molecular communication system that bacteria use to harmonize the regulation of genes in a cell density-dependent manner. In proteobacteria, QS is involved, among others, in virulence, biofilm formation or CRISPR-Cas gene regulation. Here, we report for the first time the effect of a QS-interfering enzyme to alter the regulation of CRISPR-Cas systems in model and clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as in the marine bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum CV12472. The expression of CRISPR-Cas genes decreased in most cases suggesting that enzymatic disruption of QS is promising for modulating phage-bacteria interactions.
Keywords: Biofilm; CRISPR-Cas; Lactonase; Quorum quenching; Quorum sensing; Virulence.
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