To further elaborate on this observation, we tested the biofilm formation

capacity of other defined S. Typhimurium luxS mutants. Figure 1 depicts the genomic luxS region in S. Typhimurium and indicates the genotype differences among the luxS mutants discussed in this study. A S. Typhimurium luxS::Km insertion mutant (CMPG5702, [14]) carrying a kanamycin resistance cassette chromosomally inserted in a ClaI restriction site in the luxS coding sequence is unable to form AI-2. This is in agreement with the TSA HDAC cell line lack of AI-2 production in the deletion mutant CMPG5602 [10, 14] and is as expected since both mutants, CMPG5702 and CMPG5602, are unable to form the AI-2 synthase enzyme LuxS, confirmed by western blot analysis with anti-LuxS antibody (data not shown). However, the insertion mutant still makes wildtype biofilm (Figure 2). To eliminate selleck chemical possible polar effects due to the presence of the kanamycin resistance cassette, a second luxS deletion mutant was constructed, using the same procedure as for the first deletion mutant CMPG5602. Yet, this second mutant (CMPG5630) only lacks the 3′ part of the luxS coding sequence starting from the ClaI restriction see more site where the kanamycin cassette was inserted in CMPG5702 (Figure 1). Western blot analysis and AI-2 tests showed that this mutant is unable to form LuxS protein and AI-2 (data not shown). Nevertheless, similarly to the luxS insertion mutant, strain CMPG5630 is still able to form a mature wildtype biofilm

(Figure 2). Figure 1 Genomic organization of the luxS region in Salmonella Typhimurium. Coding sequences are depicted with arrows. Mutated regions in different luxS mutants are indicated. The figure is drawn to scale. a The putative heptaminol -10 and -35 regions of MicA as reported by Udekwu et al. [17]. b 5′ end of the luxS fragment with own promoter for the construction of the complementation

construct pCMPG5664 as reported by De Keersmaecker et al. [10]. Figure 2 Biofilm formation of different Salmonella Typhimurium luxS mutants. Peg biofilm formation assay of SL1344 luxS::Km insertion mutant (CMPG5702) and SL1344 ΔluxS2 mutant (CMPG5630). Biofilm formation is expressed as percentage of wildtype SL1344 biofilm. Error bars depict 1% confidence intervals of at least three biological replicates. The question then rises which features of the luxS genomic region can explain the differences in biofilm formation phenotype between strain CMPG5602 – lacking the entire luxS coding sequence – on the one hand and both CMPG5702 and CMPG5630 on the other hand. In Salmonella Typhimurium, as in E. coli, a small non-coding RNA molecule, termed MicA, is encoded in the opposite strand of luxS (Figure 1) [15]. The close proximity of both genes could imply interference with MicA expression when the luxS genomic region is mutated. We therefore investigated the possibility that the defect of biofilm formation by CMPG5602 could be due to interference of the luxS deletion with MicA expression.