Abstract
Quorum sensing is the ability of bacteria to communicate and coordinate behavior emitting signaling molecules. A series of primers for PCR detection of Serratia spp. has been designed using as targets the pfs and luxS genes involved in AI-2-dependent quorum sensing. The identities of the PCR products (193 and 102 bp) were confirmed by commercial sequencing. Twenty-seven Serratia strains (representing 10 different species) tested positive for the presence of the pfs and luxS genes, while a total of 7 different species of non-Serratia (25 strains) were tested and gave negative results. The sensitivity and specificity of the pfs- and luxS-based PCR assay were also checked in artificially contaminated bacterial samples. In this study we established a novel method to detect Serratia using quorum-sensing genes as diagnostic markers.
Publication types
-
Evaluation Study
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Animals
-
Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
-
Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
-
Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
-
Base Sequence
-
Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / chemistry
-
Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / genetics
-
Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / metabolism
-
DNA Primers* / genetics
-
Electrophoresis, Agar Gel
-
Environmental Microbiology
-
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
-
Homoserine / analogs & derivatives*
-
Homoserine / metabolism
-
Humans
-
Lactones / metabolism*
-
Molecular Sequence Data
-
Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
-
Quorum Sensing / genetics*
-
Sensitivity and Specificity
-
Sequence Analysis, DNA
-
Serratia / classification*
-
Serratia / genetics
-
Serratia / isolation & purification*
-
Serratia / metabolism
-
Serratia Infections / diagnosis
-
Serratia Infections / microbiology
-
Species Specificity
Substances
-
Bacterial Proteins
-
DNA Primers
-
Lactones
-
N-octanoylhomoserine lactone
-
Homoserine
-
Carbon-Sulfur Lyases
-
LuxS protein, Bacteria