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Disappearance of Quorum Sensing in Burkholderia glumae During Experimental Evolution

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A Correction to this article was published on 09 May 2020

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Abstract

The plant pathogen Burkholderia glumae uses quorum sensing (QS) that allows bacteria to share information and alter gene expression on the basis of cell density. The wild-type strain of B. glumae produces quorum-sensing signals (autoinducers) to detect their community and upregulate QS-dependent genes across the population for performing social and group behaviors. The model organism B. glumae was selected to investigate adaptation, estimate evolutionary parameters, and test diverse evolutionary hypotheses by using experimental evolution. The wild-type B. glumae virulent strain showed genotypic changes during regular subculture due to oxygen limitation. The laboratory-evolved clones failed to produce the signaling molecule of C8-HSL/C6-HSL for activation of the quorum-sensing system. Further, the laboratory-evolved clones failed to produce catalase and oxalate for protecting themselves from the toxic environment at stationary phase and phytotoxins (toxoflavin) for infecting rice grain, respectively. The laboratory-evolved clones were completely sequenced and compared with the wild-type. Sequencing analysis of the evolved clones revealed that mutations in QS-responsible genes (iclR), sensor genes (shk, mcp), and signaling genes (luxR) were responsible for quorum-sensing activity failure. The experimental results and sequencing analysis revealed quorum-sensing process failure in the laboratory-evolved clones. In conclusion, the wild-type B. glumae strain was often exposed to oxidative stress during regular subculture and evolved as an avirulent strain (quorum-sensing mutant) by losing the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics.

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Change history

  • 09 May 2020

    Following the publication of this article [1], authors Jae Yun Lim and Ingyu Hwang have stated that they were not aware of, nor were they involved in the drafting, submission, or revision of this manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

Sequencing services were provided by the National Instrumentation Center for Environmental Management (NICEM). The authors would like to thank the members of Agricultural Biotechnology for their support. GG gratefully acknowledges JaeKyung Chon (NICEM) and Eunhye Goo for their helpful discussions.

Funding

This work was supported by the Creative Research Initiatives Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (Grant 2010-0018280).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Gopalsamy Gnanasekaran, Jae Yun Lim & Ingyu Hwang

Authors
  1. Gopalsamy Gnanasekaran
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  2. Jae Yun Lim
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  3. Ingyu Hwang
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Contributions

IH conceived and directed the study of the evolution experiment. GG performed all experiments, drafted the manuscript and prepared tables and figures. JYL performed genome analyses and prepared Figures. GG, JYL, and IH discussed, analyzed data and revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Gopalsamy Gnanasekaran.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Gnanasekaran, G., Lim, J.Y. & Hwang, I. Disappearance of Quorum Sensing in Burkholderia glumae During Experimental Evolution. Microb Ecol 79, 947–959 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-019-01445-0

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