Reduction of PCN biosynthesis by NO in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pyocyanin (PCN), a virulence factor synthesized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, plays an important role during clinical infections. There is no study of the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on PCN biosynthesis. Here, the effect of NO on PCN levels in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1, a common reference strain, was tested. The results showed that the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) can significantly reduce PCN levels (82.5% reduction at 60 μM SNP). Furthermore, the effect of endogenous NO on PCN was tested by constructing PAO1 nor (NO reductase gene) knockout mutants. Compared to the wild-type strain, the Δnor strain had a lower PCN (86% reduction in Δnor). To examine whether the results were universal with other P. aeruginosa strains, we collected 4 clinical strains from a hospital, tested their PCN levels after SNP treatment, and obtained similar results, i.e., PCN biosynthesis was inhibited by NO. These results suggest that NO treatment may be a new strategy to inhibit PCN biosynthesis and could provide novel insights into eliminating P. aeruginosa virulence as a clinical goal.