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Sublethal envelope-targeting silver nanoparticles induce ethanolamine-mediated cross-feeding and stabilize competitive pathogens

ABSTRACT: Envelope-targeting antimicrobials are widely detected in wastewater and engineered water systems, yet their potential to reshape interspecies interactions through membrane-derived metabolites remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether sublethal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) could bias competitive interactions between Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) toward more balanced coexistence. Repeated exposure to 0.5 mg/L AgNPs for 9 days increased the S. aureus/E. coli ratio threefold. In contrast, untreated co-cultures were dominated by E. coli, with 25% of lineages showing competitive exclusion and an E. coli/S. aureus ratio exceeding 10³ . During competition with S. aureus, E. coli activated ethanolamine (EA) utilization in bacterial microcompartments (Eut BMCs), resulting in extracellular accumulation of acetate and ammonium. Physiological assays identified nitrogen, rather than carbon, as the principal growth-promoting currency of this cross-feeding interaction. Deletion of eutBC in AgNP-exposed cocultures abolished the coexistence phenotype and restored an outcome similar to that observed in the absence of AgNP exposure. In simulated eutrophic water, sublethal AgNPs also enhanced S. aureus survival through the E. coli Eut pathway, supporting the environmental relevance of this mechanism. Mass-matched Ag⁺ exposure neither induced EA utilization nor promoted more balanced coexistence. These findings indicate that sublethal envelope-targeting nanomaterials can alter microbial metabolism and competitive relationships in this two-species model, with potential implications for interactions in contaminated water systems.

ORGANISM(S): Escherichia coli

PROVIDER: GSE343594 | GEO | 2026/08/14

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The mode of action of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is suggested to be exerted through both Ag+ and AgNP dependent mechanisms. Ingestion is one of the major NP exposure routes, and potential effects are often studied using Caco-2 cells, a well-established model for the gut epithelium. MCF-7 cells are epithelial breast cancer cells with extensive well-characterized toxicogenomics profiles. In the present study we aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the cellular molecular responses in Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells after AgNP exposure in order to evaluate whether epithelial cells derived from different tissues demonstrated similar responses. These insights could possibly reduce the size of cell panels for NP hazard identification screening purposes. AgNPs of 20, 30, 60, and 110 nm, and AgNO3 were exposed for 6h and 24h. AgNPs were shown to be taken up and dissolve intracellularly. Compared with MCF-7 cells, Caco-2 cells showed a higher sensitivity to AgNPs, slower gene expression kinetics, and absence of NP size-dependent responses. However, on a molecular level, no significant differences were observed between the two cell types. Transcriptomic analysis showed that Ag(NP) exposure caused (oxidative) stress responses, possibly leading to cell death in both cell lines. There was no indication for effects specifically induced by AgNPs. Responses to AgNPs appeared to be induced by silver ions released from the AgNPs. In conclusion, differences in mRNA responses to AgNPs between Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells were mainly related to timing and magnitude, but not to a different underlying mechanism. In total 73 samples are analyzed (24 different samples all n=3; except for 1 sample with n=4). Twelve of the 24 different samples are extracted from Caco-2 cells, 6 samples at t=6h and 6 at t=24h The other 12 different of the 24 samples are extracted from MCF-7 cells, 6 samples at t=6h and 6 at t=24h For each cell type and each timepoint one of the 6 samples was a negative control sample

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Sublethal envelope-targeting silver nanoparticles induce ethanolamine-mediated cross-feeding and stabilize competitive pathogens

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