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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1999, p. 3458-3463, Vol. 65, No. 8
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Production of Acylated Homoserine Lactones by
Psychrotrophic Members of the Enterobacteriaceae Isolated
from Foods
Lone
Gram,1,*
Allan Beck
Christensen,2
Lars
Ravn,1
Søren
Molin,2 and
Michael
Givskov2
Danish Institute for Fisheries Research,
Department of Seafood Research,1 and
Department of Microbiology,2 Technical
University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark
Received 27 January 1999/Accepted 10 May 1999
Bacteria are able to communicate and gene regulation can be
mediated through the production of acylated homoserine lactone (AHL)
signal molecules. These signals play important roles in several
pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria. The following study was undertaken
to investigate whether AHLs are produced by bacteria found in food at
temperatures and NaCl conditions commercially used for food
preservation and storage. A minimum of 116 of 154 psychrotrophic
Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from cold-smoked salmon
or vacuum-packed chilled meat produced AHLs. Analysis by thin-layer
chromatography indicated that N-3-oxo-hexanoyl homoserine lactone was the major AHL of several of the strains isolated from cold-smoked salmon and meat. AHL-positive strains cultured at 5°C in
medium supplemented with 4% NaCl produced detectable amounts of AHL(s)
at cell densities of 106 CFU/ml. AHLs were detected in
cold-smoked salmon inoculated with strains of
Enterobacteriaceae stored at 5°C under an N2
atmosphere when mean cell densities increased to 106 CFU/g
and above. Similarly, AHLs were detected in uninoculated samples of
commercially produced cold-smoked salmon when the level of indigenous
Enterobacteriaceae reached 106 CFU/g. This
level of Enterobacteriaceae is often found in lightly preserved foods, and AHL-mediated gene regulation may play a role in
bacteria associated with food spoilage or food toxicity.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Danish Institute
for Fisheries Research, Department of Seafood Research, Building 221, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark. Phone: 45 4525 2586. Fax: 45 4588 4774. E-mail: gram{at}dfu.min.dk.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1999, p. 3458-3463, Vol. 65, No. 8
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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