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A chemical radar enables bacteria to detect and kill predators
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘆𝗲, 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝙋𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙚
𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗲, 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹.
Investigation how microorganisms communicate enhances our understanding of the complex ecological interactions that shape our environment – a major focus of the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse”. A research team of the Cluster at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) and the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena has studied the interaction between amoebae, bacteria, and plants. Researchers from the University of Bayreuth were also involved in the study. The results open up new avenues for the discovery of bioactive natural products.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲-𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁
The bacterium 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘦 is a ubiquitous and devastating plant pathogen. The pathogen penetrates the plant 𝘷𝘪𝘢 natural openings or injuries, infects it and causes considerable damage in agriculture. Amoebae are natural enemies of the bacterium. The amoeba 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘮, for instance, is a single-celled organism that feeds on bacteria. However, if food becomes scarce, the unicellular organisms aggregate to form multicellular structures that allow for the generation and dispersal of spores. While not directly involved in the infection process of the plant, the amoeba is an important predator that forces the bacterium to evolve highly effective defense mechanisms in order to survive in their presence.
𝗔𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗲𝗯𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳
The research team led by Pierre Stallforth, professor at the University of Jena and head of department at the Leibniz-HKI, has now identified a previously unknown defense mechanism of 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘦. “We were able to show how the bacterium uses a chemical radar to recognize and eliminate the hostile amoebae. Interestingly, the amoebae themselves play a crucial role in their own demise,” says Shuaibing Zhang, first author of the study. Pierre Stallforth adds: “𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘦 produces syringafactins. These are chemical compounds that are harmless to the amoeba, they enable the bacterium to move faster. When the amoeba encounters this molecule, the organism modifies syringafactin’s chemical structure. The bacterium in turn has a special sensor protein - the Chemical Radar Regulator (CraR) – which recognizes these modified molecules. This enables the bacteria to detect the presence of amoebae, whereupon genes responsible for the production of toxic substances – the pyrofactins – are activated. The pyrofactins in turn kill amoebae and, interestingly, are derivatives of the modified syringafactins.”
𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴𝘀
The infectivity of the bacterium is also linked to the chemical radar system: 𝘗. 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘦
can only infect thale cress, 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, a very common plant model organism, in the presence of amoebae if the bacterium has an active “chemical radar” and is therefore able to defend itself against the predator.
The study provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between microorganisms, protozoa, and higher plants. It also provides starting points for the discovery of new bioactive natural substances that can be useful to humans as drugs or in pest control.
Numerous fundings made this pioneering study possible under the direction of the Leibniz-HKI, including the Werner Siemens Foundation, the German Research Foundation within the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse” and the ChemBioSys Collaborative Research Center. The states of Hessen and Thuringia also supported the project with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE).
Prof. Dr. Pierre Stallforth
+49 3641 532-1527
pierre.stallforth@leibniz-hki.de
Zhang S, Schlabach K, Pérez Carrillo VH, Ibrahim A, Nayem S, Komor A, Mukherji R, Chowdhury S, Reimer L, Trottmann F, Vlot AC, Hertweck C, Hellmich UA, Stallforth P (2025) A chemical radar allows bacteria to detect and kill predators. Cell
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.02.033
The plant-pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae (center), detects its amoebal predators with a c ...
Luo Yu/Leibniz-HKI
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The plant-pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae (center), detects its amoebal predators with a c ...
Luo Yu/Leibniz-HKI
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