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<p>Quorum sensing (QS) enables bacteria to coordinate collective behaviors by secreting and sensing diffusible signals. Understanding QS at single-cell resolution is essential because population-level measurements often obscure regulatory heterogeneity. In <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, the accessory gene regulator (<i>agr</i>) system is a major QS-controlled virulence regulator activated by autoinducing peptides (AIPs). Four <i>agr-</i>types exist, each defined by distinct AIPs and capable of cross-inhibition, yet their activation dynamics and interaction hierarchies remain poorly understood. Using microfluidics, time-lapse microscopy, and deep-learning-based image analysis, we quantified <i>agr</i>-activation in congenic and native <i>agr</i>-type strains. <i>Agr</i>-types differed in sensitivity to their homologous AIPs: <i>agr</i>-III was largely unresponsive, whereas <i>agr</i>-IV was highly sensitive with elevated basal activation. <i>Agr</i>-activation distribution was frequently bimodal (simultaneous existence of <i>agr</i>-ON and <i>agr-</i>OFF cells), driven by subpopulations that never activated or switched to <i>agr</i>-OFF despite constant stimulation. Combining homologous and heterologous AIPs, AIP‑IV suppressed pre‑activated <i>agr</i>-I, while AIP-I had no inhibitory effect on <i>agr</i>‑IV, indicating asymmetric cross‑inhibition. In spatially segregated cocultures, diffusional crosstalk resulted in four reproducible <i>agr</i>-interaction regimes, stable-dominance, stable-, delayed-, or unstable-dual-activation, determined by <i>agr</i>-type pairing and influenced by genetic background. Our approach links single-cell signaling to population outcomes and uncovers <i>agr-</i>type-specific asymmetries with potential consequences for strain competition and virulence.</p>

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Single-cell approach dissecting agr quorum sensing dynamics in Staphylococcus aureus

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

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  • Julian Bär,
  • Mariane Pivard,
  • Samuel G. V. Charlton,
  • Andrew G. Kempchinsky,
  • Alejandro Gómez-Mejia,
  • Giovanni Stefano Ugolini,
  • Srikanth Mairpady Shambat,
  • Eleonora Secchi,
  • Annelies S. Zinkernagel

摘要

Quorum sensing (QS) enables bacteria to coordinate collective behaviors by secreting and sensing diffusible signals. Understanding QS at single-cell resolution is essential because population-level measurements often obscure regulatory heterogeneity. In Staphylococcus aureus, the accessory gene regulator (agr) system is a major QS-controlled virulence regulator activated by autoinducing peptides (AIPs). Four agr-types exist, each defined by distinct AIPs and capable of cross-inhibition, yet their activation dynamics and interaction hierarchies remain poorly understood. Using microfluidics, time-lapse microscopy, and deep-learning-based image analysis, we quantified agr-activation in congenic and native agr-type strains. Agr-types differed in sensitivity to their homologous AIPs: agr-III was largely unresponsive, whereas agr-IV was highly sensitive with elevated basal activation. Agr-activation distribution was frequently bimodal (simultaneous existence of agr-ON and agr-OFF cells), driven by subpopulations that never activated or switched to agr-OFF despite constant stimulation. Combining homologous and heterologous AIPs, AIP‑IV suppressed pre‑activated agr-I, while AIP-I had no inhibitory effect on agr‑IV, indicating asymmetric cross‑inhibition. In spatially segregated cocultures, diffusional crosstalk resulted in four reproducible agr-interaction regimes, stable-dominance, stable-, delayed-, or unstable-dual-activation, determined by agr-type pairing and influenced by genetic background. Our approach links single-cell signaling to population outcomes and uncovers agr-type-specific asymmetries with potential consequences for strain competition and virulence.