Frontiers in Microbiology (Oct 2024)

Design and synthesis of quorum-sensing agonist for improving biofilm formation and the application of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in bioleaching

  • Deping Tang,
  • Yanpeng Xi,
  • Wentao Song,
  • Mengjiao Li,
  • Yali Liu,
  • Yanyan Lin,
  • Ran Zhang,
  • Aihong Mao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1465633
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15

Abstract

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IntroductionCurrently, there are few investigations on the effect of a synthetic exogenous quorum sensing (QS) agonist on the bioleaching rate of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (A. thiooxidans).MethodsWe created AHL (N-acyl-homoserine lactone) analogues and investigated their effects on A. thiooxidans biofilm formation, adsorption kinetics, bioleaching, and mechanism.ResultsThe findings revealed that N-(3-thiolactone)- dodecylamine (Y3) significantly increased the biofilm formation of A. thiooxidans in 96-well plates and sulfur sheets. Adsorption tests revealed that Y3 increased the adhesion rate, adsorption constant, and adsorption efficiency. Bioleaching tests indicated that Y3 boosted bioleaching efficiency, with Ni2+ and Cu2+ bioleaching rates increasing by 49.13% and 33.03%, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that Y3 increased genes associated with QS pathways and biofilm formation, particularly afeI, which was dramatically elevated 42 times.DiscussionThe study laid the groundwork for a better understanding of the mechanics of A. thiooxidans biofilm formation, which could help improve the potential application of A. thiooxidans in bioleaching.

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