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INVESTIGATION INTO A CELL‐DENSITY DEPENDENT PATHWAY IN AEROCOCCUS URINAE
Author(s) -
Hilt Evann E,
Halverson Thomas M,
Visick Karen L,
Wolfe Alan J
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.622.2
Subject(s) - quorum sensing , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , context (archaeology) , phenotype , biofilm , genetics , bacteria , gene , paleontology
Analysis of the Female Urinary Microbiota has identified organisms correlated with Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB). One of those organisms is Aerococcus urinae . A. urinae is an understudied, Gram‐positive, α‐hemolytic, emerging uropathogen. To reach our goal of understanding the pathogenesis of A. urinae in the context of OAB, we have chosen to examine specific phenotypes using genetic approaches. During growth on medium supplemented with Congo Red, clinical isolates of A. urinae produced black colonies, a phenotype that in S. aureus is correlated with biofilm formation. We observed that colonies developed rapidly from red to black during a period from approximately 40 to 48 hours, starting from areas with high cell density and spreading to areas of low cell density. We are currently pursuing the hypothesis that development of the black colony phenotype depends on quorum sensing; our initial results suggest involvement of a soluble factor. When screening additional clinical isolates, we found that some colonies were constitutively black, while others were constitutively red. When we exposed these strains to each other, some of the strains that were constitutively red developed black colony color ( Figure 1). These results suggest the involvement of a soluble factor, potentially as part of an autoinducer‐type pathway. The investigation of this pathway will advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of A. urinae in the context of OAB. 1A) A. urinae red clinical isolates in the presence of the black clinical isolate. B) A. urinae red clinical isolates in the absence of the black clinical isolate.