Cited by 317Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyAntibiotic Resistance in Bacteria

Community surveillance enhances Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence during polymicrobial infection

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Korgaonkar, Aishwarya, Trivedi, Urvish, Rumbaugh, Kendra P., Whiteley, Marvin·2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Most infections result from colonization by more than one microbe. Within such polymicrobial infections, microbes often display synergistic interactions that result in increased disease severity. Although many clinical studies have documented the occurrence of synergy in polymicrobial infections, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. A prominent pathogen in many polymicrobial infections is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium that displays enhanced virulence during coculture with Gram-positive bacteria. In this study we discovered that during coinfection, P. aeruginosa uses peptidoglycan shed by Gram-positive bacteria as a cue to stimulate production of multiple extracellular factors that possess lytic activity against prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Consequently, P. aeruginosa displays enhanced virulence in a Drosophila model of infection when cocultured with Gram-positive bacteria. Inactivation of a gene (PA0601) required for peptidoglycan sensing mitigated this phenotype. Using Drosophila and murine models of infection, we also show that peptidoglycan sensing results in P. aeruginosa-mediated reduction in the Gram-positive flora in the infection site. Our data suggest that P. aeruginosa has evolved a mechanism to survey the microbial community and respond to Gram-positive produced peptidoglycan through production of antimicrobials and toxins that not only modify the composition of the community but also enhance host killing. Additionally, our results suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting Gram-positive bacteria might be a viable approach for reducing the severity of P. aeruginosa polymicrobial infections.

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Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1214550110

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59 of 59 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Peptidoglycan fragments may play roles in more mature biofilms as environmental cues, since they regulate processes such as germination of spores in Bacillus, production of antimicrobial compounds by P. aeruginosa, and yeast-hyphal transition in C. albicans.

    “peptidoglycan fragments may play roles in more mature biofilms as environmental cues, since it has been demonstrated that they regulate processes such as the germination of spores in Bacillus, the production of antimicrobial compounds by P. aeruginosa, and the yeast-hyphal transition in C. albicans.173–175”

    From The dental plaque biofilm matrix (2021) · cites this paper as [175]

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Authors
Korgaonkar, A., Trivedi, U., Rumbaugh, K. P., & Whiteley, M.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas at Austin (US)
  • Texas Tech University (US)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2012-12-31
Volume
110
Issue
3
Pages
1059-1064
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2062817953
Cited by
315
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 9
FWCI
8.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI075068)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
Keywords
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, co-infection, bacterial synergy, peptidoglycan sensing, Gram-positive bacteria, extracellular virulence factors, lytic activity, community-based surveillance
MeSH terms
Animals, Base Sequence, Disease Models, Animal, DNA, Bacterial, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Genes, Bacterial, Humans, Male, Mutation, Peptidoglycan, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas Infections, Staphylococcal Infections, Staphylococcus aureus, Virulence, Mice, Quorum Sensing, Coinfection

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