Effects of a small, volatile bacterial molecule on Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria using whole cell high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and genomics

Int J Mol Med. 2018 Oct;42(4):2129-2136. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3760. Epub 2018 Jul 6.

Abstract

In the present study, high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was applied to live Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) bacterial cells to determine the metabolome of this opportunistic Gram-negative human pathogen, and in particular, its response to the volatile aromatic low molecular weight signaling molecule, 2-aminoacetophenone (2-AA). Multi-dimensional HRMAS NMR is a promising method which may be used to determine the in vivo metabolome of live intact bacterial cells; 2-AA is produced by PA and triggers the emergence of phenotypes that promote chronic infection phenotypes in in vitro and in vivo (animal) models. In the present study, we applied one-dimensional and two-dimensional proton (1H) HRMAS NMR to PA cells which were grown with or without 2-AA in order to examine the associations between metabolites and cellular processes in response to 2-AA. We also compared whole-genome transcriptome profiles of PA cells grown with or without 2-AA and found that 2-AA promoted profound metabolic changes in the PA cells. By comparing the whole-genome transcriptome profiles and metabolomic analysis, we demonstrated that 2-AA profoundly reprogramed the gene expression and metabolic profiles of the cells. Our in vivo 1H HRMAS NMR spectroscopy may prove to be a helpful tool in the validation of gene functions, the study of pathogenic mechanisms, the classification of microbial strains into functional/clinical groups and the testing of anti-bacterial agents.

MeSH terms

  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / cytology
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / metabolism*
  • Volatile Organic Compounds / analysis
  • Volatile Organic Compounds / metabolism*

Substances

  • Volatile Organic Compounds