Exploring AI-2-mediated interspecies communications within rumen microbial communities.
Xiaozhen Liu1, Qinmeng Liu2, Sihuai Sun2
1Department of Microbiology and Bioengineering, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Microbiome
|October 6, 2022
Summary
Microbial communication via quorum sensing (QS) is widespread in the rumen, particularly using autoinducer-2 (AI-2). This AI-2 signaling system is crucial for plant degradation and nutrient conversion, impacting host health.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Rumen microbiome
- Microbial ecology
Background:
- The rumen hosts a complex microbial ecosystem essential for feed degradation and nutrient conversion.
- Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication mechanism enabling synchronized microbial behavior, but is poorly understood in complex communities like the rumen.
- Understanding QS in the rumen is key to deciphering microbial interactions and functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and role of quorum sensing (QS) signaling in the rumen microbiome.
- To identify specific QS-related genes and their abundance in rumen bacteria and archaea.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of microbial communication mediated by QS in the rumen.
Main Methods:
- Genome-based analysis of 981 rumen bacterial and archaeal genomes.
- Identification and quantification of known QS signaling molecule-related genes.
- Analysis of gene expression using metatranscriptome data.
Main Results:
- 767 out of 981 analyzed genomes contained QS-related genes, with 680 possessing autoinducer-2 (AI-2) synthase or receptor genes.
- Abundant rumen genera like Prevotella and Ruminococcus showed high numbers of AI-2 related genes, confirmed by high expression in metatranscriptomes.
- AI-2 mediated QS, particularly via CahR receptors, appears universal in the rumen, essential for plant degradation and nutrient provision.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals AI-2 as a potentially universal signal mediating social behaviors in the rumen microbiome.
- Exploration of AI-2 related genes, especially CahR receptors, enhances understanding of microbial communication networks.
- Findings provide insights into QS functions in plant-microbe interactions within complex microecosystems.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
77
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
77
01:30Bacterial Signaling
33.6K
Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
33.6K
02:11The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
39.2K
Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
39.2K