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Role of sigma(B) in heat, ethanol, acid, and oxidative stress resistance and during carbon starvation in Listeria monocytogenes.

ABSTRACT: To determine the contribution of sigma B (sigma(B)) to survival of stationary-phase Listeria monocytogenes cells following exposure to environmental stresses, we compared the viability of strain 10403S with that of an isogenic nonpolar sigB null mutant strain after exposure to heat (50 degrees C), ethanol (16.5%), or acid (pH 2.5). Strain viabilities were also determined under the same conditions in cultures that had been previously exposed to sublethal levels of the same stresses (45 degrees C, 5% ethanol, or pH 4.5). The DeltasigB and wild-type strains had similar viabilities following exposure to ethanol and heat, but the DeltasigB strain was almost 10,000-fold more susceptible to lethal acid stress than its parent strain. However, a 1-h preexposure to pH 4.5 yielded a 1,000-fold improvement in viability for the DeltasigB strain. These results suggest the existence in L. monocytogenes of both a sigma(B)-dependent mechanism and a pH-dependent mechanism for acid resistance in the stationary phase. sigma(B) contributed to resistance to both oxidative stress and carbon starvation in L. monocytogenes. The DeltasigB strain was 100-fold more sensitive to 13.8 mM cumene hydroperoxide than the wild-type strain. Following glucose depletion, the DeltasigB strain lost viability more rapidly than the parent strain. sigma(B) contributions to viability during carbon starvation and to acid resistance and oxidative stress resistance support the hypothesis that sigma(B) plays a role in protecting L. monocytogenes against environmental adversities.

SUBMITTER: Ferreira A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC93189 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Role of sigma(B) in heat, ethanol, acid, and oxidative stress resistance and during carbon starvation in Listeria monocytogenes.

Ferreira A A O'Byrne C P CP Boor K J KJ

Applied and environmental microbiology 20011001 10

To determine the contribution of sigma B (sigma(B)) to survival of stationary-phase Listeria monocytogenes cells following exposure to environmental stresses, we compared the viability of strain 10403S with that of an isogenic nonpolar sigB null mutant strain after exposure to heat (50 degrees C), ethanol (16.5%), or acid (pH 2.5). Strain viabilities were also determined under the same conditions in cultures that had been previously exposed to sublethal levels of the same stresses (45 degrees C, ...[more]

PMID: 11571142

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Project description:While the stress-responsive alternative sigma factor sigma(B) has been identified in different species of Bacillus, Listeria, and Staphylococcus, the sigma(B) regulon has been extensively characterized only in B. subtilis. We combined biocomputing and microarray-based strategies to identify sigma(B)-dependent genes in the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Hidden Markov model (HMM)-based searches identified 170 candidate sigma(B)-dependent promoter sequences in the strain EGD-e genome sequence. These data were used to develop a specialized, 208-gene microarray, which included 166 genes downstream of HMM-predicted sigma(B)-dependent promoters as well as selected virulence and stress response genes. RNA for the microarray experiments was isolated from both wild-type and Delta sigB null mutant L. monocytogenes cells grown to stationary phase or exposed to osmotic stress (0.5 M KCl). Microarray analyses identified a total of 55 genes with statistically significant sigma(B)-dependent expression under the conditions used in these experiments, with at least 1.5-fold-higher expression in the wild type over the sigB mutant under either stress condition (51 genes showed at least 2.0-fold-higher expression in the wild type). Of the 55 genes exhibiting sigma(B)-dependent expression, 54 were preceded by a sequence resembling the sigma(B) promoter consensus sequence. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends-PCR was used to confirm the sigma(B)-dependent nature of a subset of eight selected promoter regions. Notably, the sigma(B)-dependent L. monocytogenes genes identified through this HMM/microarray strategy included both stress response genes (e.g., gadB, ctc, and the glutathione reductase gene lmo1433) and virulence genes (e.g., inlA, inlB, and bsh). Our data demonstrate that, in addition to regulating expression of genes important for survival under environmental stress conditions, sigma(B) also contributes to regulation of virulence gene expression in L. monocytogenes. These findings strongly suggest that sigma(B) contributes to L. monocytogenes gene expression during infection.

Project description:Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most heat-resistant non-spore-forming food-borne pathogens and poses a notable risk to food safety, particularly when mild heat treatments are used in food processing and preparation. While general heat stress properties and response mechanisms of L. monocytogenes have been described, accessory mechanisms providing particular L. monocytogenes strains with the advantage of enhanced heat resistance are unknown. Here, we report plasmid-mediated heat resistance of L. monocytogenes for the first time. This resistance is mediated by the ATP-dependent protease ClpL. We tested the survival of two wild-type L. monocytogenes strains-both of serotype 1/2c, sequence type ST9, and high sequence identity-at high temperatures and compared their genome composition in order to identify genetic mechanisms involved in their heat survival phenotype. L. monocytogenes AT3E was more heat resistant (0.0 CFU/ml log10 reduction) than strain AL4E (1.4 CFU/ml log10 reduction) after heating at 55°C for 40 min. A prominent difference in the genome compositions of the two strains was a 58-kb plasmid (pLM58) harbored by the heat-resistant AT3E strain, suggesting plasmid-mediated heat resistance. Indeed, plasmid curing resulted in significantly decreased heat resistance (1.1 CFU/ml log10 reduction) at 55°C. pLM58 harbored a 2,115-bp open reading frame annotated as an ATP-dependent protease (ClpL)-encoding clpL gene. Introducing the clpL gene into a natively heat-sensitive L. monocytogenes strain (1.2 CFU/ml log10 reduction) significantly increased the heat resistance of the recipient strain (0.4 CFU/ml log10 reduction) at 55°C. Plasmid-borne ClpL is thus a potential predictor of elevated heat resistance in L. monocytogenes. IMPORTANCEListeria monocytogenes is a dangerous food pathogen causing the severe illness listeriosis that has a high mortality rate in immunocompromised individuals. Although destroyed by pasteurization, L. monocytogenes is among the most heat-resistant non-spore-forming bacteria. This poses a risk to food safety, as listeriosis is commonly associated with ready-to-eat foods that are consumed without thorough heating. However, L. monocytogenes strains differ in their ability to survive high temperatures, and comprehensive understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying these differences is still limited. Whole-genome-sequence analysis and phenotypic characterization allowed us to identify a novel plasmid, designated pLM58, and a plasmid-borne ATP-dependent protease (ClpL), which mediated heat resistance in L. monocytogenes. As the first report on plasmid-mediated heat resistance in L. monocytogenes, our study sheds light on the accessory genetic mechanisms rendering certain L. monocytogenes strains particularly capable of surviving high temperatures-with plasmid-borne ClpL being a potential predictor of elevated heat resistance.

Project description:BackgroundTranscriptional regulation by alternative sigma (σ) factors represents an important mechanism that allows bacteria to rapidly regulate transcript and protein levels in response to changing environmental conditions. While the role of the alternative σ factor σB has been comparatively well characterized in L. monocytogenes, our understanding of the roles of the three other L. monocytogenes alternative σ factors is still limited. In this study, we employed a quantitative proteomics approach using Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ) to characterize the L. monocytogenes σL, σH, and σC protein regulons. Proteomic comparisons used a quadruple alternative σ factor mutant strain (ΔBCHL) and strains expressing a single alternative σ factor (i.e., σL, σH, and σC; strains ΔBCH, ΔBCL, and ΔBHL) to eliminate potential redundancies between σ factors.ResultsAmong the three alternative σ factors studied here, σH provides positive regulation for the largest number of proteins, consistent with previous transcriptomic studies, while σL appears to contribute to negative regulation of a number of proteins. σC was found to regulate a small number of proteins in L. monocytogenes grown to stationary phase at 37°C. Proteins identified as being regulated by multiple alternative σ factors include MptA, which is a component of a PTS system with a potential role in regulation of PrfA activity.ConclusionsThis study provides initial insights into global regulation of protein production by the L. monocytogenes alternative σ factors σL, σH, and σC. While, among these σ factors, σH appears to positively regulate the largest number of proteins, we also identified PTS systems that appear to be co-regulated by multiple alternative σ factors. Future studies should not only explore potential roles of alternative σ factors in activating a "cascade" of PTS systems that potentially regulate PrfA, but also may want to explore the σL and σC regulons under different environmental conditions to identify conditions where these σ factors may regulate larger numbers of proteins or genes.

Project description:Listeria monocytogenes is well known to survive and grow under several stress conditions, including salt stress, which is important for growth in certain foods as well as for host infection. To characterize the contributions, to salt stress response, of transcriptional regulators important for stress response and virulence (i.e., σ(B) and PrfA), we analyzed three L. monocytogenes parent strains and isogenic mutants (ΔsigB, ΔprfA, and ΔsigBΔprfA), representing different serotypes and lineages, for their ability to grow, at 25°C, in BHI with 1.9 M NaCl. With regard to growth rate, only the lineage IV strain presented a significant difference between the parent strain and both of its respective mutants lacking prfA (ΔprfA and ΔsigBΔprfA). Conversely, the lineage I and II parent strains showed significantly shorter lag phase in comparison to their respective ΔsigB mutant strains. Intestinal epithelial cell invasion assay and hemolytic activity assays showed a significant role for σ(B) in the former and for PrfA in the latter. To explore the mechanism that may contribute to the extended lag phase in the ΔsigB mutant strain and survival and growth of the parent strain upon salt shock, whole genome transcription profiling was performed to compare transcript levels between the lineage I, serotype 1/2b, parent strain and its isogenic ΔsigB mutant after 30 min of lag phase growth at 25°C in the presence of 1.9M NaCl (salt shock) without aeration. Microarray data showed significantly higher transcript levels for 173 genes in the parent strain as compared to the ΔsigB strain. Overall, 102 of the 173 σ(B) up-regulated genes had been identified in previous studies, indicating that 71 genes were newly identified as being up-regulated by σ(B) in this study. We hypothesize that, among these genes newly identified as σ(B) up-regulated, four genes (lmo2174, lmo0530, lmo0527 and lmo0529) may play a major role in response to salt stress. Lmo2174 contains domains that facilitate sensing and producing a transduction signal in the form of cyclic di-GMP, which may activate the enzymes Lmo0527, Lmo0529 and Lmo0530, which encode proteins similar to those responsible for synthesis of exopolysaccharides that may protect the cell by changing the cell wall structure during salt stress. Overall, our data showed that σ(B), but not PrfA, contributes to growth under salt stress. Moreover, we show that the σ(B) regulon of a L. monocytogenes lineage I strain challenged with salt shock includes salt stress-specific as well as previously unidentified σ(B) up-regulated genes.

Dataset Information

Role of sigma(B) in heat, ethanol, acid, and oxidative stress resistance and during carbon starvation in Listeria monocytogenes.

Publications

Role of sigma(B) in heat, ethanol, acid, and oxidative stress resistance and during carbon starvation in Listeria monocytogenes.

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