Honors College Thesis
 

Characterization of Quorum-Sensing Diversity in Environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa Populations

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/honors_college_theses/c247dv225

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  • While the quorum-sensing (QS) diversity of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been well established in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung infections and in vitro experiments, little is known about its QS-diversity in natural environments. One significant QS-deficient behavior is social cheating. Social cheaters contain mutations that prevent them from producing QS products and therefore rely on the QS producing population for virulence factors. As a means to investigate this type of behavior in natural environments, we collected soil, freshwater and compost samples from around Corvallis, Oregon, and from other states and countries such as Virginia, the Czech Republic and Germany. After isolation of P. aeruginosa on X107 media and verification using PCR, possible QS-deficient mutants were identified using phenotypic assays such as skim milk plates, rhamnolipid plates, adenosine plates and microplate alkyl quinolone bioassay. The majority of P. aeruginosa isolated was found in compost samples which harbored few QS-deficient phenotypes. Furthermore, of the QS-deficient phenotypes isolated, the predominant mutations were in the rhl and pqs genes. We theorize that the compost environment provides fewer selective pressures than those seen in CF lung infections and in vitro experiments towards QS-deficient phenotypes and social cheating.
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