In the marine environment, surface-associated bacteria often produce an array of antimicrobial secondary metabolites, which have predominantly been perceived as competition molecules. However, they may also affect other hallmarks of surface-associated living, such as motility and biofilm formation. Here, we investigate the ecological significance of an antibiotic secondary metabolite, tropodithietic acid (TDA), in the producing bacterium, Phaeobacter piscinae S26. We constructed a markerless in-frame deletion mutant deficient in TDA biosynthesis, S26ΔtdaB. Molecular networking demonstrated that other chemical sulfur-containing features, likely related to TDA, were also altered in the secondary metabolome. We found several changes in the physiology of the TDA-deficient mutant, ΔtdaB, compared to the wild type. Growth of the two strains was similar; however, ΔtdaB cells were shorter and more motile. Transcriptome and proteome profiling revealed an increase in gene expression and protein abundance related to a type IV secretion system, and to a prophage, and a gene transfer agent in ΔtdaB. All these systems may contribute to horizontal gene transfer (HGT), which may facilitate adaptation to novel niches. We speculate that once a TDA-producing population has been established in a new niche, the accumulation of TDA acts as a signal of successful colonization, prompting a switch to a sessile lifestyle. This would lead to a decrease in motility and the rate of HGT, while filamentous cells could form the base of a biofilm. In addition, the antibiotic properties of TDA may inhibit invading competing microorganisms. This points to a role of TDA in coordinating colonization and adaptation. IMPORTANCE Despite the broad clinical usage of microbial secondary metabolites with antibiotic activity, little is known about their role in natural microbiomes. Here, we studied the effect of production of the antibiotic tropodithietic acid (TDA) on the producing strain, Phaeobacter piscinae S26, a member of the Roseobacter group. We show that TDA affects several phenotypes of the producing strain, including motility, cell morphology, metal metabolism, and three horizontal gene transfer systems: a prophage, a type IV secretion system, and a gene transfer agent. Together, this indicates that TDA participates in coordinating the colonization process of the producer. TDA is thus an example of a multifunctional secondary metabolite that can mediate complex interactions in microbial communities. This work broadens our understanding of the ecological role that secondary metabolites have in microbial community dynamics.
Keywords: Phaeobacter; biofilm; gene transfer agent; horizontal gene transfer; motility; niche colonization; prophage; secondary metabolites; tropodithietic acid.