Quorum quenching inhibits the formation and electroactivity of electrogenic biofilm by weakening intracellular c-di-GMP and extracellular AHL-mediated signal communication.

Abstract

Electrogenic biofilm formation has been shown to be induced by intracellular c-di-GMP signaling and extracellular quorum sensing, but their interactions have been rarely explored. This study explored the effects of quorum quenching (induced by adding acylase) on electrogenic biofilm development and its underlying mechanisms. Quorum quenching impaired the electricity generation and electroactivity of electrogenic biofilms as indicated by dye decolorization rate. It significantly decreased the proportion of typical exoelectrogen Geobacter from 62.0% to 36.5% after 90 days of operation, and enriched some other functional genera (e.g., Dysgonomonas and Sphaerochaeta) to ensure normal physiological function. Moreover, metagenomic analysis revealed that the addition of acylase weakened the potential of chemical communication, as indicated by the decrease in the abundance of genes encoding the production of AHL and c-di-GMP, and the increase in the abundance of aiiA and pvdQ genes (encoding quorum quenching) and cdgC gene (responsible for c-di-GMP breakdown). Functional contribution analysis indicated that Geobacter was a major contributor to hdtS gene (encoding AHL synthesis). These findings demonstrated that quorum quenching adversely impaired not only quorum sensing but also intracellular c-di-GMP signaling, ultimately inhibiting the development of biofilm. This work lays the foundation for regulating electrogenic biofilm development and improving the performance of microbial electrochemical system using signal communication strategy.