Putrescine and Its Metabolic Precursor Arginine Promote Biofilm and c-di-GMP Synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Zhexian Liu, Sarzana S. Hossain, Zayda Morales Moreira, Cara H. Haney
Abstract
Biofilm formation allows bacteria to physically attach to a surface, confer tolerance to antimicrobial agents, and promote resistance to host immune responses. As a result, the regulation of biofilm formation is often crucial for bacterial pathogens to establish chronic infections. A primary mechanism of biofilm promotion in bacteria is the molecule c-di-GMP, which promotes biofilm formation. The level of c-di-GMP is tightly regulated by bacterial enzymes. In this study, we found that putrescine, a small molecule ubiquitously found in eukaryotic cells, robustly enhances P. aeruginosa biofilm and c-di-GMP. We propose that P. aeruginosa may sense putrescine as a host-associated signal that triggers a lifestyle switch that favors chronic infection.