Part:BBa_K2033000

N-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C(12)-HSL) Sender- AubI

Sequence and Features

Assembly Compatibility:

• 10
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
• 12
  INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]

  Illegal NheI site found at 535
  
• 21
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]
• 23
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
• 25
  INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]

  Illegal AgeI site found at 510
  
• 1000
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]

Short Description

This is a synthase enzyme that produces N-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C(12)-HSL).

Introduction to HSL Quorum Sensing

HSLs, or Homoserine Lactones, are a common chemical compound produced by a wide range of bacteria to communicate. As a major variant of quorum sensing, "N-Acyl homoserine lactones" come in many forms, although they share the same basic backbone shown below:

Distinguishable by its lactone ring, HSLs in quorum sensing are used as a density-dependent communication system for many bacteria that controls growth rate, virulence, and bio-luminescence among other things. The Aub system originates from an unidentified soil bacteria and is highly uncharacterized.

HSL quorum sensing functions within two modules. The first module, the "Sender," must be induced by certain environmental conditions, usually population density of surrounding organisms. This will begin production of the HSL by the cell, which is then detected by the second module, the "Receiver." Once a certain threshold of HSLs is breached, the Receiver will cause the expression or silencing of certain genes to achieve the desired purpose of the communication, whether it is the production of GFP or to increase growth rate.

Aub System

The Aub system was discovered as a result of a metagenomic soil study, in which the system was discovered. However, because the study was part of a metagenomic soil study, the specific bacterial origin is unknown. The Aub system produces a unique AHL molecule, which is shown below:

This AHL possesses an alkane tail, which is the primary recognition factor for AubR.