Dataset Information

Genotypes Associated with Listeria monocytogenes Isolates Displaying Impaired or Enhanced Tolerances to Cold, Salt, Acid, or Desiccation Stress.

ABSTRACT: The human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is a large concern in the food industry where its continuous detection in food products has caused a string of recalls in North America and Europe. Most recognized for its ability to grow in foods during refrigerated storage, L. monocytogenes can also tolerate several other food-related stresses with some strains possessing higher levels of tolerances than others. The objective of this study was to use a combination of phenotypic analyses and whole genome sequencing to elucidate potential relationships between L. monocytogenes genotypes and food-related stress tolerance phenotypes. To accomplish this, 166 L. monocytogenes isolates were sequenced and evaluated for their ability to grow in cold (4°C), salt (6% NaCl, 25°C), and acid (pH 5, 25°C) stress conditions as well as survive desiccation (33% RH, 20°C). The results revealed that the stress tolerance of L. monocytogenes is associated with serotype, clonal complex (CC), full length inlA profiles, and the presence of a plasmid which was identified in 55% of isolates. Isolates with full length inlA exhibited significantly (p < 0.001) enhanced cold tolerance relative to those harboring a premature stop codon (PMSC) in this gene. Similarly, isolates possessing a plasmid demonstrated significantly (p = 0.013) enhanced acid tolerance. We also identified nine new L. monocytogenes sequence types, a new inlA PMSC, and several connections between CCs and the presence/absence or variations of specific genetic elements. A whole genome single-nucleotide-variants phylogeny revealed sporadic distribution of tolerant isolates and closely related sensitive and tolerant isolates, highlighting that minor genetic differences can influence the stress tolerance of L. monocytogenes. Specifically, a number of cold and desiccation sensitive isolates contained PMSCs in ?B regulator genes (rsbS, rsbU, rsbV). Collectively, the results suggest that knowing the sequence type of an isolate in addition to screening for the presence of full-length inlA and a plasmid, could help food processors and food agency investigators determine why certain isolates might be persisting in a food processing environment. Additionally, increased sequencing of L. monocytogenes isolates in combination with stress tolerance profiling, will enhance the ability to identify genetic elements associated with higher risk strains.

SUBMITTER: Hingston P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5340757 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genotypes Associated with Listeria monocytogenes Isolates Displaying Impaired or Enhanced Tolerances to Cold, Salt, Acid, or Desiccation Stress.

Hingston Patricia P Chen Jessica J Dhillon Bhavjinder K BK Laing Chad C Bertelli Claire C Gannon Victor V Tasara Taurai T Allen Kevin K Brinkman Fiona S L FS Truelstrup Hansen Lisbeth L Wang Siyun S

Frontiers in microbiology 20170308

The human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is a large concern in the food industry where its continuous detection in food products has caused a string of recalls in North America and Europe. Most recognized for its ability to grow in foods during refrigerated storage, L. monocytogenes can also tolerate several other food-related stresses with some strains possessing higher levels of tolerances than others. The objective of this study was to use a combination of phenotypic analyses a ...[more]

PMID: 28337186

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Project description:The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes survives exposure to a variety of stresses including desiccation in the food industry. Strand-specific RNA sequencing was applied to analyze changes in the transcriptomes of two strains of L. monocytogenes (Lm 568 and Lm 08-5578) during desiccation [15°C, 43% relative humidity (RH)] on food grade stainless steel surfaces over 48 h to simulate a weekend with no food production. Both strains showed similar survival during desiccation with a 1.8-2 Log CFU/cm2 reduction after 48 h. Analysis of differentially expressed (DE) genes (>twofold, adjusted p-value <0.05) revealed that the initial response to desiccation was established after 6 h and remained constant with few new genes being DE after 12, 24, and 48 h. A core of 81 up- and 73 down-regulated DE genes were identified as a shared, strain independent response to desiccation. Among common upregulated genes were energy and oxidative stress related genes e.g., qoxABCD (cytochrome aa3) pdhABC (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex) and mntABCH (manganese transporter). Common downregulated genes related to anaerobic growth, proteolysis and the two component systems lmo1172/lmo1173 and cheA/cheY, which are involved in cold growth and flagellin production, respectively. Both strains upregulated additional genes involved in combatting oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS), including sod (superoxide dismutase), kat (catalase), tpx (thiol peroxidase) and several thioredoxins including trxAB, lmo2390 and lmo2830. Osmotic stress related genes were also upregulated in both strains, including gbuABC (glycine betaine transporter) and several chaperones clpC, cspA, and groE. Significant strain differences were also detected with the food outbreak strain Lm 08-5578 differentially expressing 1.9 × more genes (726) compared to Lm 568 (410). Unique to Lm 08-5578 was a significant upregulation of the expression of the alternative transcription factor σB and its regulon. A number of long antisense transcripts (lasRNA) were upregulated during desiccation including anti0605, anti0936, anti1846, and anti0777, with the latter controlling flagellum biosynthesis and possibly the downregulation of motility genes observed in both strains. This exploration of the transcriptomes of desiccated L. monocytogenes provides further understanding of how this bacterium encounters and survives the stress faced when exposed to dry conditions in the food industry.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Listeria monocytogenes is a widespread foodborne pathogen that can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal infection. L. monocytogenes is subdivided into four phylogenetic lineages, with the highest incidence of listeriosis occurring within lineage I followed by lineage II. Strains of L. monocytogenes differ in their phenotypic characteristics, including virulence. However, the genetic bases for these observed differences are not well understood, and current efforts to monitor L. monocytogenes in food consider all strains to be equally virulent. We use a comparative genomics approach to identify genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 174 clinical and food isolates of L. monocytogenes that potentially contribute to virulence or the capacity to adapt to food environments. RESULTS:No SNPs are significantly associated with food or clinical isolates. No genes are significantly associated with food or clinical isolates from lineage I, but eight genes consisting of multiple homologues are associated with lineage II food isolates. These include three genes which encode hypothetical proteins, the cadmium resistance genes cadA and cadC, the multi-drug resistance gene ebrB, a quaternary ammonium compound resistance gene qac, and a regulatory gene. All eight genes are plasmid-borne, and most closed L. monocytogenes plasmids carry at least five of the genes (24/27). In addition, plasmids are more frequently associated with lineage II food isolates than with lineage II clinical isolates. CONCLUSIONS:We identify eight genes that are significantly associated with food isolates in lineage II. Interestingly, the eight genes are virtually absent in lineage II outbreak isolates, are composed of homologues which show a nonrandom distribution among lineage I serotypes, and the sequences are highly conserved across 27 closed Listeria plasmids. The functions of these genes should be explored further and will contribute to our understanding of how L. monocytogenes adapts to the host and food environments. Moreover, these genes may also be useful as markers for risk assessment models of either pathogenicity or the ability to proliferate in food and the food processing environment.

Project description:The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes experiences osmotic stress in many habitats, including foods and the gastrointestinal tract of the host. While osmotic stress induced changes in expression have been investigated for specific genes, identifying and understanding genome-wide temporal changes in the transcriptome due to salt stress will provide insights into how this pathogen adapts to and survives this stress, leading to development of new intervention strategies. To determine the short-term and long-term responses to salt stress, we exposed exponential phase cells of L. monocytogenes H7858 to 6% NaCl in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth at 7°C and 37°C and extracted RNA after 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of lag phase and during exponential growth in BHI + 6% NaCl, and evaluated temporal changes in transcript levels with microarrays. The temperature dependent short-term response to salt stress included a significant increase in transcript levels of the alternative sigma factor σB, with maximum expression at 2.5-5% of lag phase at 37°C, and at 20% of lag phase at 7°C. Transcript levels of genes known to be regulated by σB, including inlAB, opuCA, glpFK, and gadBC, were significantly upregulated at the same relative time points as σB As indicated by significantly elevated transcript levels during exponential growth in BHI + 6% NaCl, genes encoding proteins involved in purine and pyrimidine synthesis and amino acid biosynthesis are part of the long-term response to salt stress at 37°C. Transcript levels of virulence genes plcA, mpl, actA, and plcB were also significantly upregulated during exponential growth under salt stress at 37°C. Genes encoding proteins involved in protein degradation and stability and cell membrane modifications are part of the long-term response to salt stress at 7°C. Overall, an initial alteration in the transcriptome occurs, decreasing transcript levels of genes encoding proteins involved in energy conversion and metabolism, while increasing transcript levels of those involved in the stress response controlled by σB, followed by a long-term response, including increased expression of genes encoding compatible solute transporters and general stress proteins, facilitating growth under salt stress.

Dataset Information

Genotypes Associated with Listeria monocytogenes Isolates Displaying Impaired or Enhanced Tolerances to Cold, Salt, Acid, or Desiccation Stress.

Publications

Genotypes Associated with <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> Isolates Displaying Impaired or Enhanced Tolerances to Cold, Salt, Acid, or Desiccation Stress.

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