Regulation of autoinducer 2 production and luxS expression in a pathogenic Edwardsiella tarda strain

Edwardsiella tarda is a bacterial pathogen that can infect both humans and animals. TX1, an Ed. tarda strain isolated from diseased fish, was found to produce autoinducer 2 (AI-2)-like activity that was growth phase dependent and modulated by growth conditions. The gene coding for the AI-2 synthase was cloned from TX1 and designated luxS(Et)(.) LuxS(Et) was able to complement the AI-2 mutant phenotype of Escherichia coli strain DH5alpha. Expression of luxS(Et) correlated with AI-2 activity and was increased by glucose and decreased by elevated temperature. The effect of glucose was shown to be mediated through the cAMP-CRP complex, which repressed luxS(Et) expression. Overexpression of luxS(Et) enhanced AI-2 activity in TX1, whereas disruption of luxS(Et) expression by antisense RNA interference (i) reduced the level of AI-2 activity, (ii) impaired bacterial growth under various conditions, (iii) weakened the expression of genes associated with the type III secretion system and biofilm formation, and (iv) attenuated bacterial virulence. Addition of exogenous AI-2 was able to complement the deficiencies in the expression of TTSS genes and biofilm production but failed to rescue the growth defects. Our results (i) demonstrated that the AI-2 activity in TX1 is controlled at least in part at the level of luxS(Et) expression, which in turn is regulated by growth conditions, and that the temporal expression of luxS(Et) is essential for optimal bacterial infection and survival; and (ii) suggested the existence in Ed. tarda of a LuxS/AI-2-mediated signal transduction pathway that regulates the production of virulence-associated elements.