This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nakayama, J.
Right arrow Articles by Sonomoto, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nakayama, J.
Right arrow Articles by Sonomoto, K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, February 2009, p. 580-586, Vol. 53, No. 2
0066-4804/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00995-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Ambuic Acid Inhibits the Biosynthesis of Cyclic Peptide Quormones in Gram-Positive Bacteria {triangledown}

Jiro Nakayama,1* Yumi Uemura,1 Kenzo Nishiguchi,1 Norito Yoshimura,1 Yasuhiro Igarashi,2 and Kenji Sonomoto1,3

Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan,1 Biotechnology Research Center, Toyama Prefectural University, 5180 Kurokawa, Imizu, Toyama 939-0398, Japan,2 Department of Functional Metabolic Design, Bio-Architecture Center, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan3

Received 25 July 2008/ Returned for modification 1 October 2008/ Accepted 12 November 2008

Quorum sensing is a cell-density-dependent regulatory system in gram-positive bacteria and is often regulated by cyclic peptides called "quormones," which function as extracellular communication signals. With an aim to discover an antipathogenic agent targeting quorum sensing in gram-positive bacteria, we screened 153 samples of fungal butanol extracts with the guidance of the inhibition of quorum-sensing-mediated gelatinase production in Enterococcus faecalis. Following the screenings, we found that ambuic acid, a known secondary fungal metabolite, inhibited the quorum-sensing-mediated gelatinase production without influencing the growth of E. faecalis. We further demonstrated that ambuic acid targeted the biosynthesis of a cyclic peptide quormone called gelatinase biosynthesis-activating pheromone. Furthermore, ambuic acid also inhibited the biosynthesis of the cyclic peptide quormones of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria innocua. These results suggest the potential use of ambuic acid as a lead compound of antipathogenic drugs that target the quorum-sensing-mediated virulence expression of gram-positive bacteria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School, Kyushu University, 6-10-1, Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. Phone: 81-92-642-3020. Fax: 81-92-642-3021. E-mail: nakayama{at}agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 17 November 2008.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, February 2009, p. 580-586, Vol. 53, No. 2
0066-4804/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00995-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»