ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Bacteria and Host
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1603759
This article is part of the Research TopicSynergistic Approaches to Managing Gram-negative Bacterial ResistanceView all 17 articles
Less is more: the lack of autoinducer-2-dependent quorum sensing promotes competitive fitness of Escherichia coli strain 83972
Provisionally accepted
- University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Autoinducer-2 is a signaling molecule involved in quorum sensing in Escherichia coli. Quorum sensing enables coordinated behavior based on cell density and helps bacteria adapt to their environment. The luxS gene and the lsr locus are involved in the biosynthesis, transport, and intracellular phosphorylation of autoinducer-2. Disruption of autoinducer-2 biosynthesis or transport can reduce biofilm formation, chemotaxis, and the expression of genes relevant for the uropathogenicity of E. coli. Interestingly, most isolates of E. coli phylogroup B2, in which uropathogenic and other extraintestinal pathogenic strains are overrepresented, lack the lsr operon. We show that autoinducer-2-dependent quorum sensing is not fundamentally beneficial for efficient and prolonged urinary bladder colonization. We demonstrate that the lsr-negative asymptomatic bacteriuria isolate 83972 has a higher fitness than its lsr-complemented variant. Using transcriptome analyses, competitive growth assays, and comparisons of selected fitness properties, we show that restoration of the lsr operon in this strain background results in growth retardation, loss of competitiveness, and higher sensitivity to oxidative stress. Our results illustrate that the lack of autoinducer-2-dependent quorum sensing contributes to the well-known fitness and competitiveness of E. coli 83972, on which its effective use for bacterial interference in the urinary bladder relies. It is vital to delve deeper to fully understand the fitness and competitiveness of the ABU strain 83972 if we are to optimize its use in therapeutic colonization. The key is to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms, thus ensuring the efficacy and safety of this treatment as an alternative to antibiotic therapy.
Keywords: lsr locus, Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, fitness, stress response, competitiveness
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Keizers, Mukherjee, Berger and Dobrindt. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ulrich Dobrindt, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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