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Accurate Identification of Diverse N-acyl Homoserine Lactones in Marine Vibrio fluvialis by UHPLC-MS/MS

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Abstract

Vibrio fluvialis is a marine opportunistic pathogen that frequently causes diseases in aquatic animals and humans. V. fluvialis can produce quorum sensing signaling molecules to coordinate cell density-dependent behavioral changes, including N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL), which acts as a vital mediator of virulence-associated gene expression. Currently, several AHL molecules in V. fluvialis have been detected via biological and physicochemical methods, although different detection approaches have generated diverse AHL profiles. Here, we describe the AHL-producing bacterium, V. fluvialis BJ-1, which was isolated from marine sediments from the East China Sea. V. fluvialis BJ-1 could stimulate AHL-mediated β-galactosidase synthesis of the biosensor Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 (pZLR4) but could not induce violacein production in the AHL reporter strain, Chromobacterium violaceum CV026. This bacterial isolate exhibited strong AHL-producing activity at low cell density; however, the AHL activity declined when population density remained at high levels. Analysis of the AHLs by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography tandem Mass Spectrometry demonstrated that V. fluvialis BJ-1 produced five different AHL signaling molecules, including two linear chain AHL products (C8- and C10-HSL), and three β-carbon-oxidative AHL products (3-O-C8-, 3-O-C10- and 3-O-C12-HSL). Significantly, the present study is the first to accurately define the AHL profile of marine V. fluvialis. In future, the coupling of UHPLC to ESI–MS/MS is expected to be utilized for the accurate determination of AHL profiles in marine Vibrio.

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or nonprofit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Zhoushan, 316021, Zhejiang Province, China

    Jingjiao Bao, Dengkang Guo, Lei Jin, Tiejun Li & Hui Shi

  2. Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Technology Research for Fishery Resource of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan, 316021, Zhejiang Province, China

    Lei Jin

  3. Zhoushan Fishery Environments and Aquatic Products Quality Monitoring Center of Ministry of Agriculture China, Zhoushan, 316021, Zhejiang Province, China

    Jingjiao Bao, Lei Jin & Tiejun Li

  4. School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, China

    Dengkang Guo

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  1. Jingjiao Bao
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Contributions

The authors’ contribution to this manuscript is as follows: Jin conceptualized and designed the study. Bao prepared materials, collected data and carried out chromatographic analysis. Guo wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Li and Shi provided the resources and significant input on the data interpretation. All authors critically revised all versions of the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Lei Jin.

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Bao, J., Guo, D., Jin, L. et al. Accurate Identification of Diverse N-acyl Homoserine Lactones in Marine Vibrio fluvialis by UHPLC-MS/MS. Curr Microbiol 79, 181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-022-02879-5

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