Activity of two Exometabolites produced by Escherichia coli on the Synthesis of Pyocyanin

The secretion of metabolites with antimicrobial activity is one of the strategies employed by bacteria to respond to negative stimuli promoted during interspecies competition. In a long-term stationary phase. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli can synthesize diffusible exometabolites whose action is to mutually inhibit the exposed cells, guaranteeing the balance of both populations in a certain site. The P. aeruginosa may have an advantage in that it produces pyocyanin. However, the excretion of indole and acetate by E. coli may reduce this advantage. This work aims to detect the influence of different concentrations of these two exometabolites on the synthesis of pyocyanin in two wild isolates of P. aeruginosa. After incubation under shaking for 72 h at 29°C, reduction of up to 50% of the concentration of pyocyanin in the presence of indole was observed. On the other hand, no change was observed in the production of the pigment with the acetate, alone or when in combination with concentrations of less than 0.5 mM indole. It reduced the inhibitory effect of the compound, reflecting an increase in pyocyanin production of more than 20%. The results contribute to help understanding the ecological mechanisms of competition between the two species.