Abstract
The effect of Resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf) on intercellular contacts in the cultures of Micrococcus luteus and Mycobacterium smegmatis was investigated using dynamic light scattering (DLS, photon correlation spectroscopy). During the stationary growth phase, the cells of the tested cultures formed extensive aggregates 100 and 300 μ in size for M. smegmatis and M. luteus, respectively. The number of solitary cells was insignificant. Addition of the recombinant Rpf protein (15 μg/ml) resulted dispersion of cell aggregates and emergence of solitary cells. This effect of Rpf decreased in the presence of nitrophenylthiocyanates (NPTs), specific Rpf inhibitors. Presumably, Rpf is involved in the regulation of intracellular interactions and in biofilm formation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Oleskin, A.V., The Supraorganism Level of Interaction in Microbial Populations, Mikrobiologiya, 1993, vol. 62, pp. 389–403.
Mukamolova, G.V., Kaprelyants, A.S., and Kell, D.B., Secretion of an Antibacterial Factor During Resuscitation of Dormant Cells in Micrococcus luteus Cultures Held in an Extended Stationary Phase, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 1995, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 289–295.
Voloshin, S.A. and Kaprelyants, A.S., Cell-Cell Interaction in Bacterial Populations, Biokhimiya, 2004, vol. 69, no. 11, pp. 1555–1564 [Biochemistry (Moscow) (Engl. Transl.), vol. 69, no. 11, pp. 1268–1275].
Darouiche, R.O., Mansouri, M.D., Gawande, P.V., and Madhyastha, S., Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Efficacy of Triclosan and DispersinB Combination, J. Antimicrob Chemother., 2009, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 88–93.
Mukamolova, G.V., Yang, M., Kell, D., and Kaprel’yants, A.S., Bacterial Pheromones and Cell Division, Usp. Biol. Khim., 1999, vol. 39, pp. 225–254.
Mukamolova, G.V., Kaprelyants, A.S., Young, D.I., Young, M., and Kell, D.B., A Bacterial Cytokine, Proc Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 1998, vol. 95, pp. 8916–8921.
Mukamolova, G.V., Turapov, O.A., Young, D.I., Kaprelyants, A.S., Kell, D.B., and Young, M., A Family of Autocrine Growth Factors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mol. Microbiol., 2002, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 623–35.
Cohen-Gonsaud, M., Barthe, P., Bagnris, C., Henderson, B., Ward, J., Roumestand, C., and Keep, N.H., The Structure of a Resuscitation-Promoting Factor Domain from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Shows Homology to Lysozyme, Nature, 2005, no. 12, pp. 270–273.
Mukamolova, G.V., Murzin, A.G., Salina, E.G., Demina, G.R., Kell, D.B., Kaprelyants, A.S., and Young, M., Muralytic Activity of Micrococcus luteus Rpf and Its Relationship to Physiological Activity in Promoting Bacterial Growth and Resuscitation, Mol. Microbiol., 2006, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 84–98.
Mukamolova, G., Salina, E., and Kaprelyants, A., Mechanisms of Latent Tuberculosis: Dormancy and Resuscitation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Nat. Inst. Allergy Infect. Diseases, vol. 1, ch. 9, pp. 83–91.
Shleeva, M., Mukamolova, G.V., Young, M., Williams, H.D., and Kaprelyants, A.S., Formation of “Non-Culturable” Cells of Mycobacterium smegmatis in Stationary Phase in Response to Growth under Suboptimal Conditions and Their Rpf-Mediated Resuscitation, Microbiology (UK), 2004, vol. 150, pp. 1687–1697.
Demina, G.R., Makarov, V.A., Nikitushkin, V.D., Ryabova, O.B., Vostroknutova, G.N., Salina, E.G., Shleeva, M.O., Goncharenko, A.V., and Kaprelyants, A.S., Finding of the Low Molecular Weight Inhibitors of Resuscitation Promoting Factor Enzymatic and Resuscitation Activity, PLoS One, 2009, vol. 16, no. 4, e8174.
Ruggiero, A., Tizzano, B., Geerlof, A., Pedone, E., Pedone, C., Wilmanns, M., and Berisio, R., Expression, Purification, Crystallisation and Preliminary X-Ray Crystallographic Analysis of a Resuscitation-Promoting Factor from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Acta Crystallogr., 2007, vol. 63, pp. 870–873.
Voloshin, S.A. and Kaprel’yants, A.S., Cell Aggregation in Cultures of Micrococcus luteus, Studied by Dynamic Light Scattering, Prikl. Biokhim. Mikrobiol., 2005, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 647–651 [Appl. Biochem. Microbiol. (Engl. Transl.), vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 570–573].
Kana, B.D. and Mizrahi, V., Resuscitation-Promoting Factors as Lytic Enzymes for Bacterial Growth and Signalling, FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol., 2010, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 39–50.
Zambrano, M.M. and Kolter, R., Mycobacterial Biofilms: A Greasy Way to Hold It Together, Cell, 2005, vol. 123, no. 5, pp. 762–764.
Ojha, A.K., Baughn, A.D., Sambandan, D., Hsu, T., Trivelli, X., Guerardel, Y., Alahari, A., Kremer, L., Jacobs, W.R., and Hatfull, G.F., Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Biofilms Containing Free Mycolic Acids and Harbouring Drug-Tolerant Bacteria, Mol. Microbiol., 2008, vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 164–174.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © V.D. Nikitushkin, G.R. Demina, A.S. Kaprelyants, 2011, published in Mikrobiologiya, 2011, Vol. 80, No. 2, pp. 155–161.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nikitushkin, V.D., Demina, G.R. & Kaprelyants, A.S. Effect of secreted Rpf protein on intracellular contacts in Micrococcus luteus and Mycobacterium smegmatis cultures. Microbiology 80, 143–149 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261711020123
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261711020123