A farnesol-sensing triad in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> drives interkingdom predation on <i>Candida albicans</i> via signal transduction
Abstract
Microbial interactions, particularly bacteria–fungus interactions, are research hotspots within microbial ecology and pathogenic biology. However, their underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood, especially how bacterial pathogens recognize and exploit fungal signaling molecules for fungal predation. Here, we demonstrate that Pseudomonas aeruginosa employs an integrated tripartite farnesol-sensing system to detect and eliminate Candida albicans hyphae: The chemoreceptor PctA mediates directional migration toward hyphae; the type IV pilus sensor PilJ activates antifungal type III secretion system (T3SS) expression; and the quorum regulator PqsR monitors farnesol levels to coordinate virulence-metabolic switching. This mechanism enables bacteria to convert farnesol into their own signaling language ( Pseudomonas quinolone signal) according to fungi status, thereby adaptively modulating their virulence expression and metabolism to cope with complex competitive microbial environments. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and functional validation confirm that the PctA–PilJ–PqsR triad is conserved across P . aeruginosa , suggesting that this interkingdom communication is widespread. In conclusion, this study reveals that P . aeruginosa orchestrates a targeted predation strategy against filamentous fungi by coordinating three interkingdom receptors, providing a theoretical foundation and potential molecular targets for understanding of interkingdom communication strategies among microorganisms and the development of signal molecule–based microbial prevention and control technologies.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (22)
Zhiyan Wei
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Changfu Li
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Fengge Song
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Xiaoying Zhang
College of Chemistry
Shuyu Li
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Nuoping Xu
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Jingchao Zhang
College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology
Yan Luo
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, State Key Laboratory of Porous Materials for Separation and Conversion, Fudan University, 220 Handan, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
Yuxin Zuo
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Jitong Jiao
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Haiyang He
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Ruoyi Wang
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Xiaozhen Liu
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Zhongke Sun
School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology
Yantao Yang
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Yao Wang
Wenqiang Chang
Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Science, Shandong University
Hongxiang Lou
Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Science, Shandong University
Jie Feng
State Key Laboratory of Natural Product Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou Magnetic Resonance Center
Kun Zhao
Lingfang Zhu
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Xihui Shen
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University