AmiE, a novel N-acylhomoserine lactone acylase belonging to the amidase family, from the activated-sludge isolate Acinetobacter sp. strain Ooi24.

Many Gram-negative bacteria use N-acyl-l-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as quorum-sensing signal molecules. We have reported that Acinetobacter strains isolated from activated sludge have AHL-degrading activity. In this study, we cloned the amiE gene as an AHL-degradative gene from the genomic library of Acinetobacter sp.

Production and degradation of N-acylhomoserine lactone quorum sensing signal molecules in bacteria isolated from activated sludge.

N-Acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) function as quorum-sensing signaling molecules in many Gram-negative bacteria. We isolated a total of 672 bacterial strains from activated sludge obtained from seven sewage treatment plants in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, and screened for AHL-producing and degrading strains. Isolates (n = 107) stimulated AHL-mediated purple pigment production in AHL reporter strains Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 and VIR07.