Project description:The phenomenon of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) referred as a dormant state of non-sporulating bacteria enhancing the survival in adverse environments. To our knowledge, only few studies have been performed on whole genomic expression of V. parahaemolyticus in VBNC state compared with cells in exponential and early stationary phases. Since many VBNC state studies found DNA, RNA and protein degradation, we hypothesise that gene regulation of VBNC cells is highly reduced, down-regulation of gene expression is dominant and only metabolic functions crucial for survival are kept on a sustained basis. In the VBNC state we found 509 significantly induced genes and 309 significantly repressed by more than twofold compared with unstressed phases among 4820 investigated genes (adjusted P-value < 0.05). Furthermore, up-regulation was dominant in most of the non-metabolism functional categories, while five metabolism-related functional categories revealed down-regulation in the VBNC state. To our knowledge, this is the first study of comprehensive transcriptomic analyses of three phases of V. parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633. Although the mechanism of VBNC state is not yet clear, massive regulation of gene expression occurs in the VBNC state compared with expression in unstressed phases and thus, VBNC cells are active cells. VBNC state gene expression was detected in total bacterial RNA of V. parahaemolyticus. Three phases (exponential phase, early stationary phase, and VBNC state) were used in 8 biological replicates. Gene expression in exponential phase and early stationary phase was used for normalization, respectively.
Project description:The phenomenon of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) referred as a dormant state of non-sporulating bacteria enhancing the survival in adverse environments. To our knowledge, only few studies have been performed on whole genomic expression of V. parahaemolyticus in VBNC state compared with cells in exponential and early stationary phases. Since many VBNC state studies found DNA, RNA and protein degradation, we hypothesise that gene regulation of VBNC cells is highly reduced, down-regulation of gene expression is dominant and only metabolic functions crucial for survival are kept on a sustained basis. In the VBNC state we found 509 significantly induced genes and 309 significantly repressed by more than twofold compared with unstressed phases among 4820 investigated genes (adjusted P-value < 0.05). Furthermore, up-regulation was dominant in most of the non-metabolism functional categories, while five metabolism-related functional categories revealed down-regulation in the VBNC state. To our knowledge, this is the first study of comprehensive transcriptomic analyses of three phases of V. parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633. Although the mechanism of VBNC state is not yet clear, massive regulation of gene expression occurs in the VBNC state compared with expression in unstressed phases and thus, VBNC cells are active cells.
Project description:Acidovorax citrulli causes bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) disease in cucurbit crops including watermelon and melon. This bacterium can enter the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state following exposure to copper sulfate. Moreover, copper-induced VBNC A. citrulli cells could be resuscitated by EDTA. In this study, isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) was used to compare protein profiles of VBNC cells, resuscitated cells at different stages and log-phase cells of the A. citrulli model strain AAC00-1.
Project description:Bacteria have developed multiple strategies, such as sporulation, to cope with environmental stress. Non-sporulating bacteria, however, may “hibernate” into a so-called viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, where they are no longer able to grow in standard culture media and thus become undetectable by conventional growth-based methods. VBNC pathogens pose a significant risk for human and animal health as they can “wake up” back into a vegetative and virulent state. Although hundreds of bacterial species have been reported to enter a VBNC state in response to various stresses (e.g. thermal, osmotic, starvation, antibiotics), the molecular mechanisms governing this phenotypic switch remains largely elusive. Here, we report an in-depth characterization of the VBNC state transition process in the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in response to nutritional deprivation. We found that starvation in mineral water drives L.monocytogenes into a VBNC state via a unique mechanism of cell wall shedding that generates cellwall-deficient coccoid forms. Transcriptomic and gene-targeted approaches revealed the stress response regulator SigB and the autolysin NamA as major mediators of cell wall loss and VBNC state transition.
Project description:Embryonic stem cells (ESC) are able to give rise to any somatic cell type. A lot is known about how ESC pluripotency is maintained, but comparatively less is known about how differentiation is promoted. Cell fate decisions are regulated by interactions between signalling and transcriptional networks. Recent studies have shown that the overexpression or downregulation of the transcription factor Jun can affect the ESC fate. Here we have focussed on the role of the Jun in the exit of mouse ESCs from ground state pluripotency and the onset of early differentiation. Transcriptomic analysis of differentiating ESCs reveals that Jun is required to upregulate a programme of genes associated with cell adhesion as ESCs exit the pluripotent ground state.
Project description:Viable but nonculturable (VBNC) organisms have been underestimated and neglected when studying dormant phenotypes. In clinical settings, VBNC cells may contribute to non-apparent infections capable of being reactivated after months or even years, as for the case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The lack of specific and reliable methodology prevents the proper characterization of the VBNC state. Ultimately, these organisms pose a public health risk with potential implications in several industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to food industry. Research regarding their induction and resuscitation is of major importance. Bacteria are able to respond to several environmental and physiological oscillations in part via two-component systems (TCSs). BtsS/BtsR and YpdA/YpdB are two TCSs of Escherichia coli that form a pyruvate sensing network. Their role in the VBNC state is explored in this study.
Project description:Analysis of the time courses of gene expression profiles of breast cancer cell line MCF7 treated by 16 differentiation-inducing drugs at day 1, day 3 and day 5. The drugs are the screening results from the the JHCCL library (1,500 drugs). The hypothesis tested in the present study was that cancer cells exit the proliferative state via multiple paths. Results showed that cell state transition trajectories firstly diverged and later converged to a quiescient differentiated state MCF7 cells were cultured in 150mm dishes and treated 1/5/10 μM of each of the 16 drugs (see details in Table S1-2). 14 plates of cells were left untreated as control samples. Cells were collected after 1, 3 and 5 days of drug treatment in RNeasy (Qiagen) lysis buffer and RNA was isolated according to the manufactureâs protocol and sent to Vancouver Prostate Center for transcript profiling.
Project description:“Viable but non-culturable” (VBNC) states pose challenges for environmental and clinical microbiology, but their biological mechanisms remain obscure. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the leading cause of death from infection until COVID-19, affords a striking example. Mtb can enter into a “differentially detectable” (DD) state associated with phenotypic antimicrobial resistance in which Mtb cells are viable but undetectable as colony-forming units. We found that Mtb cells enter the DD state when they undergo sublethal oxidative stress that damages their DNA, proteins, and lipids, and in addition, their replication is delayed, allowing repair. Mycobacterium bovis and BCG fail to enter the DD state under similar conditions. These findings have implications for TB latency, detection, relapse, treatment monitoring, and development of regimens that overcome phenotypic antimicrobial resistance.
Project description:"Viable but non-culturable” (VBNC) states pose challenges for environmental and clinical microbiology, but their biological mechanisms remain obscure. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the leading cause of death from infection until COVID-19, affords a striking example. Mtb can enter into a “differentially detectable” (DD) state associated with phenotypic antimicrobial resistance in which Mtb cells are viable but undetectable as colony-forming units. We found that Mtb cells enter the DD state when they undergo sublethal oxidative stress that damages their DNA, proteins, and lipids, and in addition, their replication is delayed, allowing repair. Mycobacterium bovis and BCG fail to enter the DD state under similar conditions. These findings have implications for TB latency, detection, relapse, treatment monitoring, and development of regimens that overcome phenotypic antimicrobial resistance.
Project description:“Viable but non-culturable” (VBNC) states pose challenges for environmental and clinical microbiology, but their biological mechanisms remain obscure. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the leading cause of death from infection until COVID-19, affords a striking example. Mtb can enter into a “differentially detectable” (DD) state associated with phenotypic antimicrobial resistance in which Mtb cells are viable but undetectable as colony-forming units. We found that Mtb cells enter the DD state when they undergo sublethal oxidative stress that damages their DNA, proteins, and lipids, and in addition, their replication is delayed, allowing repair. Mycobacterium bovis and BCG fail to enter the DD state under similar conditions. These findings have implications for TB latency, detection, relapse, treatment monitoring, and development of regimens that overcome phenotypic antimicrobial resistance.