Project description:VS94 gene expression at different time-points in SAPI medium in absence and presence of AI-2 was studied. Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) is produced by many species of bacteria, including various commensal bacteria and is involved in inter-species communication. Since, pathogens encounter AI-2 once they enter the human gastro-intestinal tract; we studied the effects of presence of AI-2 on various phenotypes associated with infection and colonization of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) namely, chemotaxis, motility and attachment to HeLa cells. AI-2 attracted EHEC when observed in agarose plug assays and also increased EHEC motility by 1.44-fold. AI-2 also increased EHEC attachment to HeLa cells by 1.6-fold; hence, suggesting that exposure to AI-2 inside the gastro-intestinal tract can play an important role in EHEC colonization. We then investigated the global effects of AI-2 on EHEC gene expression using DNA microarrays at various time-points. We found that AI-2 controls virulence gene expression and several other groups of genes (flagellar genes, iron related genes, biofilm genes etc.) associated with virulence in a time-dependent manner. Hence, through these studies we have shown that AI-2 may be a key component in EHEC infection of human gastro-intestinal tract. Keywords: Time course
Project description:Autoinducer 2 (AI-2), a widespread by-product of the LuxS-catalyzed S-ribosylhomocysteine cleavage reaction in the activated methyl cycle, has been suggested to serve as an intra- and interspecies signaling molecule, but in many bacteria AI-2 control of gene expression is not completely understood. Particularly, we have a lack of knowledge about AI-2 signaling in the important human pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis. Here, to determine the role of LuxS and AI-2 in S. epidermidis, we analyzed genome-wide changes in gene expression in an S. epidermidis luxS mutant and after addition of AI-2 synthesized by over-expressed S. epidermidis Pfs and LuxS enzymes. Genes under AI-2 control included mostly genes involved in sugar, nucleotide, amino acid, and nitrogen metabolism, but also virulence-associated genes coding for lipase and bacterial apoptosis proteins. In addition, we demonstrate by liquid chromatography/mass-spectrometry of culture filtrates that the pro-inflammatory phenol-soluble modulin (PSM) peptides, key virulence factors of S. epidermidis, are under luxS/AI-2 control. Our results provide a detailed molecular basis for the role of LuxS in S. epidermidis virulence and suggest a signaling function for AI-2 in this bacterium. Keywords: wild type without glucose control vs luxS mutant vs luxS mutant with auto-inducer II
Project description:Implantation is crucial for placental development which directly impacts fetal growth and pregnancy success with possible consequences on post-natal health. We postulated that early perturbations of the conceptus-maternal environment communication may alter the endometrium physiology that could account for the final reproductive outcome. Using cattle as an animal model, we compared gene expression profiles of the endometrial caruncular and intercaruncular areas during the critical period of implantation in three types of pregnancies: artificial insemination (AI), in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET) or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Less than 35% of the differentially expressed genes were found to be common between AI, IVF-ET, and SCNT conditions. Compared to AI, numerous biological functions and several canonical pathways and genes were found to be significantly affected in IVF-ET or SCNT, with a major impact on metabolism and immune function in SCNT. Our data show that the endometrium can fine-tune its physiology and could be considered as a biological sensor in response to pregnancy manipulations. Determining the limits of the endometrial plasticity should bring new insights on the contribution of the maternal compartment to the pregnancy outlet. Keywords: Fluorescence Microarray - Dye switch loop design