Hills, OJ orcid.org/0000-0002-8953-7378, Yong, CW, Scott, AJ et al. (3 more authors) (2022) Atomic-scale interactions between quorum sensing autoinducer molecules and the mucoid P. aeruginosa exopolysaccharide matrix. Scientific Reports, 12. 7724. ISSN 2045-2322
Abstract
Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a prevalent cystic fibrosis (CF) lung coloniser whose chronicity is associated with the formation of cation cross-linked exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrices, which form a biofilm that acts as a diffusion barrier, sequestering cationic and neutral antimicrobials, and making it extremely resistant to pharmacological challenge. Biofilm chronicity and virulence of the colony is regulated by quorum sensing autoinducers (QSAIs), small signalling metabolites that pass between bacteria, through the biofilm matrix, regulating genetic responses on a population-wide scale. The nature of how these molecules interact with the EPS is poorly understood, despite the fact that they must pass through EPS matrix to reach neighbouring bacteria. Interactions at the atomic-scale between two QSAI molecules, C4-HSL and PQS—both utilised by mucoid P. aeruginosa in the CF lung—and the EPS, have been studied for the first time using a combined molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) approach. A large-scale, calcium cross-linked, multi-chain EPS molecular model was developed and MD used to sample modes of interaction between QSAI molecules and the EPS that occur at physiological equilibrium. The thermodynamic stability of the QSAI-EPS adducts were calculated using DFT. These simulations provide a thermodynamic rationale for the apparent free movement of C4-HSL, highlight key molecular functionality responsible for EPS binding and, based on its significantly reduced mobility, suggest PQS as a viable target for quorum quenching.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Te Author(s) 2022. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Food Science and Nutrition (Leeds) > FSN Chemistry and Biochemistry (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Food Science and Nutrition (Leeds) > FSN Colloids and Food Processing (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 27 Apr 2022 11:04 |
Last Modified: | 01 Jun 2022 07:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Nature Research |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41598-022-11499-9 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:186069 |