Acyl-homoserine Lactones from Erwinia psidii
J. Agric. Food Chem., Vol. 53, No. 16, 2005 6263
Many phytopathogens exploit acyl-homoserine lactone based
communication systems. Pectobacterium carotoVorum H.
Erwinia carotoVora J.), which causes the soft rot disease, is
one of the best-studied examples. It has been demonstrated that
the carbapenem antibiotic and plant-cell-wall-degrading enzyme
syntheses are under the control of the same autoinducer, the
N-(3-oxo-hexanoyl)-HSL (8). Furthermore, the communication
system can be disrupted by antagonists, such as halogenated
furanones from the red algae Delisea pulchra M., thus decreas-
ing antibiotic and exoenzyme production (9).
0.5% NaCl, and 0.5% yeast extract (Oxoid). Solid medium was prepared
with 2% agar (Oxoid). X-Gal (5-bromine-4-chloro-3-indolyl-â-D-
galactopyranoside) was purchased from Sigma (Aldrich Chemical Co.,
Milwaukee, WI).
(
Bioassay with Reporter Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4(pZLR4).
Inoculums of strains P. aeruginosa CCT 1987, A. tumefaciens NTL4-
T
(
pZLR4), and E. psidii IBSBF 435 were prepared in test tubes with
LB liquid medium (2 mL). These were maintained at 28 °C for 24 h.
To four test tubes containing LB liquid medium (2 mL) the following
solutions were added: tube 1 (blank control): 20 µL of inoculum of
E. psidii and 20 µL of X-Gal (stock solution at 50 mg/mL in DMF);
tube 2 (blank control): 20 µL of inoculum of A. tumefaciens
NTL4(pZLR4) and 20 µL of X-Gal; tube 3 (positive control): 20 µL
of inoculum of A. tumefaciens NTL4(pZLR4), 20 µL of X-Gal, and
This example shows the importance of the quorum-sensing
system during development of some phytopathogenic bacteria
in hosts. Suppression of this mechanism is considered a new
research field to control bacteriosis (10). Therefore, it is
important to understand how these biological mechanisms occur,
starting from the chemical nature of substances involved. The
current communication deals with the acyl-homoserine lactones
produced by Erwinia psidii, a particularly destructive phyto-
pathogen of Brazilian guava crops (P. guajaVa). The study of
possible quorum-sensing signaling substances from this bacte-
2
0 µL of inoculum of P. aeruginosa CCT 1987; tube 4 (test): 20 µL
of inoculum of A. tumefaciens NTL4(pZLR4), 20 µL of X-Gal, and
0 µL of inoculum of E. psidii. The four tubes (in duplicate) were
incubated at 28 °C and the colorations were visually evaluated after
4 h.
Culture of E. psidii and Detection of Acyl-HSL. E. psidii IBSBF
435 was grown in test tubes containing liquid NB medium (10 mL),
2
2
T
was incubated at 30 °C for 24 h, and then was transferred to NB medium
(1L) to be incubated at 30 °C under shaking at 100 rpm. After 24 h,
the culture medium was centrifuged at 5000 rpm for 20 min under
refrigeration (5 °C). The aqueous medium was extracted with ethyl
acetate (3 × 500 mL). The combined organic phases (1.5 L) were
washed with distilled water (1 × 500 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium
sulfate, and evaporated under reduced pressure at 50 °C. The whole
procedure was repeated eight times yielding a crude extract (0.728 g),
which was separated by silica column chromatography (15 g) eluted
with hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate, recovering 84 fractions
of 50 mL, monitored by TLC. Similar fractions were combined and
analyzed by GC-MS. Acyl-HSL were detected in fractions FRA32 (2.0
mg) and FRA33-35 (2.5 mg).
T
rium was carried out employing the IBSBF 435 type strain,
isolated from infected guava trees.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
General Experimental Procedures. NMR spectroscopic data were
acquired from a Varian Inova spectrometer, operating at 499.88 MHz
1
13
for H NMR and 125.71 MHz for C NMR. CDCl
3
was used as the
0.0 ppm).
solvent and TMS as the internal reference (δ and δ
H
C
Chemical shifts δ were recorded in ppm, and coupling constants J were
recorded in Hertz (Hz). Optical rotation was measured on a Perkin-
Elmer 341 polarimeter at 17 °C, and the results were converted to 20
+
°
C by the usual equations. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra
N-Hexanoyl-HSL. GC-MS (EI, 70 eV) m/z: 199 (M , 2), 156 (12),
were obtained with a Bomem MB Michelson spectrometer, using KBr
143 (100), 125 (21), 115 (6), 102 (12), 101 (15), 99 (22), 57 (45), 43
(47).
N-Heptanoyl-HSL. GC-MS (EI, 70 eV, SIM) m/z: 213 (M , 1), 156
(Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) as sample support. Silica gel for CC
+
(0.035-0.070 mm) was from Merck. TLC analyses were made on silica
gel 60 F254 plates (Merck) and were visualized under exposure to UV
light (254 nm) or chemically with solution of p-anisaldehyde (5%),
acetic acid (50 mL), and concentrated sulfuric acid (1 mL) and were
heated to 90-100 °C for 5 min.
(10), 143 (100), 125 (20), 113 (15), 102 (14), 101 (15), 85 (16), 57
(52), 43 (40).
Acyl-HSL Synthesis. General Procedure. To a round-bottom flask
-
4
(5 mL) containing distilled water (2.5 mL), triethylamine (1.05 × 10
GC-MS Analysis. GC-MS analyses were carried out on an HP 6890/
mol), R-amino-γ-butyrolactone hydrobromide [racemic or S-(-), Al-
-4
5
973 instrument, equipped with a 30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 µm i.d.
drich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, WI] (1.05 × 10 mol), and hexanoic
-4
HP5 fused silica capillary column. Mass spectra were recorded over
or heptanoic acids (1.57 × 10 mol) were added. To the stirred solution
the 40-450 amu range at 3.54 scans/s, with an ionization energy of
at room temperature, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide
-
3
7
0 eV. Helium was the carrier gas at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The
hydrochloride (1.57 × 10 mol) was added. The reaction was further
stirred at room temperature for 24 h. Extraction with ethyl acetate (3
× 10 mL) and the usual workup yielded pure acyl-HSL.
injector temperature was maintained at 250 °C. The initial oven
temperature was 100 °C and was programmed to increase to 290 °C at
1
0 °C/min and then was held for 10 min. One-microliter samples were
(()-N-Hexanoyl-homoserine Lactone. 54% yield. GC-MS (EI, 70
1
13
injected, without splitting.
Chiral GC-FID Analyses. Chiral gas chromatography analyses were
carried out with an HP 6890 instrument with flame ionization detection
eV) data were identical to the natural product. IR, H, and C NMR
data were consistent with those previously reported (11, 12).
S-(-)-Hexanoyl-homoserine Lactone. 54% yield. IR, GC-MS, 13C,
1
(
FID), equipped with a 25.0 m × 250.0 µm × 25.0 µm chiral capillary
H NMR, DEPT-135, and DEPT-90 data were identical to those
obtained for the racemic compound. [R]20
-22.86° (c. 0.35 MeOH).
column Chrompack CP chirasil-dex coating 7502 (Chrompack Inter-
national BV, 4330 EA Middelburg, The Netherlands). The initial oven
temperature was 50 °C and was programmed to increase at 2 °C/min
to 180 °C and then was held for 5 min. Hydrogen was the carrier gas
at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The injector and detector (FID) temperatures
were kept at 220 °C and 240 °C, respectively. One-microliter samples
were injected, with a 1:100 split ratio.
D
(()-N-Heptanoyl-homoserine Lactone. 64% yield. GC-MS (IE, 70
eV) data were identical to the natural product. IR (KBr) 3315 (m),
-
1
2955 (m), 1776 (s), 1646 (s), 1545 (m), 1173 (m), 1013 (m), 646 cm
1
(w). H NMR (499.88 MHz, TMS, CDCl
3
) δ (ppm) 0.88 (t, 3, J )
H
7.3 Hz, H-7′), 1.29 (m, 6, H-4′, H-5′, H-6′), 1.64 (quintet, 2, J ) 7.6
Hz, H-3′), 2.14 (m, 1, H-4), 2.25 (t, 1, J ) 8.9 Hz, H-2′), 2.84 (m, 1,
H-4), 4.28 (ddd, 1, J ) 5.8, 11.3, 9.5 Hz, H-5), 4.47 (t, 1, J ) 8.9 Hz,
H-5), 4.56 (ddd, H, J ) 5.8, 11.6, 8.6 Hz, H-3), 6.15 (d, 1, J ) 3.7 Hz,
Bacterial Strains and Cultivation Media. The strain Erwinia psidii
T
IBSBF 435 ()ATCC 49406 type strain) was kindly provided by Dr.
NH). 13C NMR (125.71 MHz, TMS, CDCl
J u´ lio Rodrigues Neto, curator of the collection of cultures of Instituto
Biol o´ gico de S a˜ o Paulo, Campinas, Brazil. It was isolated from Psidium
guajaVa L. 1982, Brazil and maintained in solid nutrient broth (NB)
medium. Indicator strain Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4(pZLR4)
was maintained in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium supplemented with
gentamicin (50 µg/mL). Pseudomonas aeruginosa CCT 1987 was
maintained in solid NB medium. NB medium (20 g/L) was from Oxoid
3 C
) δ (ppm) 14.0 (C-7′);
22.4 (C-6′); 25.3 (C-3′); 28.8 (C-5′); 30.5 (C-4); 31.4 (C-4′); 36.1 (C-
2′); 49.2 (C-3); 66.1 (C-5); 173.7 (C-1′); 175.5 (C-2).
Biological Assays with Extract, Fractions, and Synthetic Prod-
ucts. Biological activities of the synthetic products, ethyl acetate extract,
and fractions from E. psidii culture medium with biosensor A.
tumefaciens NTL4(pZLR4) were evaluated as described above. The
tests were performed using solutions (20 µL) of each synthetic product
(Hampshire, England). LB medium is composed of 1% peptone (Oxoid),