Abstract
The N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum-sensing signals produced by Sinorhizobium meliloti strains AK631 and 1021 when cultured in a defined glucose-nitrate medium were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI MS/MS). Both strains synthesized several long-chain AHLs. Defined medium cultures of strain AK631 synthesized a complex mixture of AHLs with short acyl side chains. Strain 1021 produced no short-chain AHLs when grown on defined medium and made a somewhat different set of long-chain AHLs than previously reported for cultures in rich medium. While the two strains produced several AHLs in common, the differences in AHLs produced suggest that there may be significant differences in their patterns of quorum-sensing regulation.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to James Metzger and Brian Ahmer for allowing us access to their equipment and guiding us though its use, and thank Juan Gonzalez for sharing preliminary research data. Access to the ESI mass spectrometer was graciously provided by Jerrold Meinwald, Cornell University. Work presented in this paper was supported by a USDA grant number 2002-3531911559 to WDB and JBR; an Ohio Plant Biotechnology Consortium grant to WDB and JBR: Ohio State University (OSU) International Education Travel Grants to WDB and MT; OSU Presidential Fellowship and Research Enhancement Grant to MT; and NIH grant GM 53830 and training grant GM 08500 to MRG. Partial salary and research support were provided by state and federal funds appropriated to WDB through the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. manuscript number HCS 03-20.
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Teplitski, M., Eberhard, A., Gronquist, M.R. et al. Chemical identification of N-acyl homoserine lactone quorum-sensing signals produced by Sinorhizobium meliloti strains in defined medium. Arch Microbiol 180, 494–497 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-003-0612-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-003-0612-x