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Genome-wide transcriptional responses of Escherichia coli K-12 to continuous osmotic and heat stresses.

ABSTRACT: Osmotic stress is known to increase the thermotolerance and oxidative-stress resistance of bacteria by a mechanism that is not adequately understood. We probed the cross-regulation of continuous osmotic and heat stress responses by characterizing the effects of external osmolarity (0.3 M versus 0.0 M NaCl) and temperature (43 degrees C versus 30 degrees C) on the transcriptome of Escherichia coli K-12. Our most important discovery was that a number of genes in the SoxRS and OxyR oxidative-stress regulons were up-regulated by high osmolarity, high temperature, or a combination of both stresses. This result can explain the previously noted cross-protection of osmotic stress against oxidative and heat stresses. Most of the genes shown in previous studies to be induced during the early phase of adaptation to hyperosmotic shock were found to be also overexpressed under continuous osmotic stress. However, there was a poorer overlap between the heat shock genes that are induced transiently after high temperature shifts and the genes that we found to be chronically up-regulated at 43 degrees C. Supplementation of the high-osmolarity medium with the osmoprotectant glycine betaine, which reduces the cytoplasmic K(+) pool, did not lead to a universal reduction in the expression of osmotically induced genes. This finding does not support the hypothesis that K(+) is the central osmoregulatory signal in Enterobacteriaceae.

SUBMITTER: Gunasekera TS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2395010 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genome-wide transcriptional responses of Escherichia coli K-12 to continuous osmotic and heat stresses.

Gunasekera Thusitha S TS Csonka Laszlo N LN Paliy Oleg O

Journal of bacteriology 20080321 10

Osmotic stress is known to increase the thermotolerance and oxidative-stress resistance of bacteria by a mechanism that is not adequately understood. We probed the cross-regulation of continuous osmotic and heat stress responses by characterizing the effects of external osmolarity (0.3 M versus 0.0 M NaCl) and temperature (43 degrees C versus 30 degrees C) on the transcriptome of Escherichia coli K-12. Our most important discovery was that a number of genes in the SoxRS and OxyR oxidative-stress ...[more]

PMID: 18359805

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Project description:The alternative sigma factor RpoS is a central regulator of many stress responses in Escherichia coli The level of functional RpoS differs depending on the stress. The effect of these differing concentrations of RpoS on global transcriptional responses remains unclear. We investigated the effect of RpoS concentration on the transcriptome during stationary phase in rich media. We found that 23% of genes in the E. coli genome are regulated by RpoS, and we identified many RpoS-transcribed genes and promoters. We observed three distinct classes of response to RpoS by genes in the regulon: genes whose expression changes linearly with increasing RpoS level, genes whose expression changes dramatically with the production of only a little RpoS ("sensitive" genes), and genes whose expression changes very little with the production of a little RpoS ("insensitive"). We show that sequences outside the core promoter region determine whether an RpoS-regulated gene is sensitive or insensitive. Moreover, we show that sensitive and insensitive genes are enriched for specific functional classes and that the sensitivity of a gene to RpoS corresponds to the timing of induction as cells enter stationary phase. Thus, promoter sensitivity to RpoS is a mechanism to coordinate specific cellular processes with growth phase and may also contribute to the diversity of stress responses directed by RpoS.IMPORTANCE The sigma factor RpoS is a global regulator that controls the response to many stresses in Escherichia coli Different stresses result in different levels of RpoS production, but the consequences of this variation are unknown. We describe how changing the level of RpoS does not influence all RpoS-regulated genes equally. The cause of this variation is likely the action of transcription factors that bind the promoters of the genes. We show that the sensitivity of a gene to RpoS levels explains the timing of expression as cells enter stationary phase and that genes with different RpoS sensitivities are enriched for specific functional groups. Thus, promoter sensitivity to RpoS is a mechanism that coordinates specific cellular processes in response to stresses.

Project description:We probed the mechanism of cross-regulation of osmotic and heat stress responses by characterizing the effects of high osmolarity (0.3M vs. 0.0M NaCl) and temperature (43oC vs. 30oC) on the transcriptome of Escherichia coli K12 using E. coli Genome 2 Array (Affymetrix, Inc.). Independent array hybridizations were carried out for 3 biological replicates (independent cultures). Total RNA was extracted using a hot phenol-chloroform method. cDNA synthesis, fragmentation and labeling, and washing and scanning of E. coli GeneChip Arrays were performed according to the instructions of the manufacturer (Affymetrix Technical Manual, Affymetrix, Inc., USA). Labeled cDNA was hybridized to E. coli Genome 2 Array (Affymetrix, Inc.). Independent array hybridizations were carried out for 3 biological replicates (independent cultures) of each condition. A number of genes in the SoxRS and OxyR oxidative stress regulons were up-regulated by high osmolarity, high temperature, and/or by the combination of both stresses. This result could account for cross-protection of osmotic stress against oxidative stress. The trehalose biosynthetic genes were induced by both stresses, in accord with the proposed protective role of this disaccharide against thermal and oxidative damage. Experiment Overall Design: E. coli K12 strain NCM3722 cultures were grown with aeration in K medium containing 10 or 20 mM glucose. To impose osmotic stress, the osmolarity of the medium was increased to 0.64 osm by supplementation with 0.3 M NaCl. Because E. coli is a methionine auxotroph above 42oC the K medium cultures were supplemented with 0.5 mM methionine. Glycine betaine (GB) was added to the high osmolarity media to a final concentration of 1 mM. Cells taken from a single colony on LB agar were inoculated into 1ml liquid LB and grown to saturation at 37oC, then 0.05 ml were inoculated into i) K medium, 0.5 mM methionine, 10 mM glucose; ii) K medium, 0.5 mM methionine, 10 mM glucose, 0.3 M NaCl; and iii) K medium, 0.5 mM methionine, 10 mM glucose, 0.3 M NaCl, 1 mM GB. The cultures were grown to saturation at 30oC and 43oC, and sub-cultured once into the same medium and grown at the same temperatures as before. Exponentially growing cells form these cultures were then inoculated into Erlenmeyer flasks (starting OD600nm 0.05) containing 40 ml of the same medium, and incubated in the same salt and temperature conditions as used previously, except that the glucose concentration was increased to 20 mM. When the cells reached OD600nm of 0.4-0.5 (~3 doublings), 25 ml were added to a 2.5 ml mixture of cold 95% ethanol and 5% phenol to preserve RNA. The cells were cooled briefly on ice, immediately harvested by centrifugation (4oC), and the pellet was frozen on dry ice. The six different growth conditions used were: C1 - 30oC, no NaCl; C2: 30oC, 0.3 M NaCl; C3: 30oC, 0.3 M NaCl, 1 mM GB; C4: 43oC, no NaCl; C5: 43oC, 0.3 M NaCl; C6: 43oC, 0.3 M NaCl, 1 mM GB.

Dataset Information

Genome-wide transcriptional responses of Escherichia coli K-12 to continuous osmotic and heat stresses.

Publications

Genome-wide transcriptional responses of Escherichia coli K-12 to continuous osmotic and heat stresses.

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