Project description:Biocides are chemical compounds widely used in hospital settings for a variety of purposes, but mainly for disinfection. The chemical properties of a biocide, as well as the biocide concentration, influence which cellular targets are affected. Exposure of bacteria to residual concentrations of biocides could lead to development of increased resistance towards the biocide in use, as well as cross-resistance towards other antimicrobials, including antibiotics. The aim of this study was to examine whether biocides could induce any potentially relevant genes that could affect pathogen's drug resistance or fitness. By examining global gene expression of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 after exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of four biocides (benzalkonium chloride - BAC, chlorhexidine - CHX, hydrogen peroxide - H2O2, triclosan - TSN), we found that each biocide changed expression of different groups of genes and that exposure to benzalkonum chloride caused changes in expression of the largest number of genes among all biocides. In general, the four biocides tested in this study at subinhibitory concentrations did not increase the resistance potential of the pathogen to other antimicrobials. We could, however, identify clusters of genes that could possibly help the strain to grow in the presence of a biocide in the medium.
Project description:Purpose: In this work, we evaluated the role of two indicative species, Citrobacter werkmanii (CW) and Escherichia albertii (EA), in the virulence of two DEC pathotypes, Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) and enteroaggregative (EAEC) Escherichia coli. Methods: To determine the effect of supernatant obtained from CW and EA cultures in STEC strain 86-24 and EAEC strain 042 gene expression, a RNA-seq analysis was performed. T84 cells were infected with DEC strains in the presence or absence of supernatant from EA and IL-8 secretion was evaluated. The effect of supernatant from EA on the growth and adherence of STEC and EAEC to T84 cells was also evaluated. Finally, we studied the participation of long polar fimbriae (Lpf) in STEC and plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet) in EAEC during DEC infection in the presence of supernatant from EA. Results: RNA-seq analysis revealed that several virulence factors in STEC and EAEC were up-regulated in the presence of supernatants from CW and EA. Interestingly, an increase in the secretion of IL-8 was observed in T84 cells infected with STEC or EAEC in the presence of a supernatant from EA. Similar results were observed with the supernatants obtained from clinical strains of E. albertii. Supernatant from EA had no effect on the growth of STEC and EAEC, or on the ability of these DEC strains to adhere to intestinal epithelial cells. Finally, we found that Pet toxin in EAEC was up-regulated in the presence of a supernatant from EA. In STEC, using mutant strains for Lpf fimbriae, our data suggested that these fimbriae might be participating in the increase of IL-8 induced by STEC on intestinal epithelial cells in the presence of a supernatant from EA. Conclusion:Supernatant obtained from an indicative species of DEC-positive diarrhea could modulate gene expression in STEC and EAEC, and IL-8 secretion induced by these bacteria. These data provide new insights into the effect of gut microbiota species in the pathogenicity of STEC and EAEC.
Project description:Burkholderia cenocepacia is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium intrinsically resistant to most antibiotics and biocides. The aim of this study is to map transcription start sites and 5'UTRs, and to discover novel non-coding small RNAs expressed in biofilms. The experimental approach used for this study is differential sequencing, where RNA samples are split into two aliquots, one of which is then treated with a 5' monophosphate-dependent exonuclease. Two separate libraries are created from exonuclease-treated and -untreated sub-samples, using illumina sequencing from the 5'end, without fractionation step and without depletion of abundant rRNAs. Transcription start sites can then be identified by comparing exonuclease-treated with untreated RNA-seq libraries.
Project description:The Salmonella effector SteC is the only protein kinase encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 that is secreted through the type III secretion system. SteC is known to trigger actin rearrangement via the phosphorylated MEK pathway, and our previous experiments demonstrated that the migration process of macrophages found during Salmonella infection is dependent on the rearrangement of the host cell actin backbone and the action of SteC.To further investigate the target of SteC in the host, we constructed a SteC-RAW264.7 cell line and performed phosphomics analysis using 4D-FastDIA to identify the direct substrates of SteC that trigger macrophage migration and lead to cytoskeletal rearrangement.
Project description:Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 is a notorious foodborne pathogen capable of causing severe gastrointestinal infections in humans. The bovine rectoanal junction (RAJ) has been identified as a primary reservoir of STEC O157:H7, playing a critical role in its transmission to humans through contaminated food sources. Despite the relevance of this host-pathogen interaction, the molecular mechanisms behind the adaptation of STEC O157:H7 in the bovine RAJ and its subsequent infection of human colonic epithelial cells remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to unravel the intricate dynamics of STEC O157:H7 in two distinct host environments: bovine RAJ squamous epithelial (RSE) cells and human colonic epithelial cells. Comparative transcriptomics analysis was employed to investigate the differential gene expression profiles of STEC O157:H7 during its interaction with these cell types. The bacterial cells were cultured under controlled conditions to simulate the microenvironments of both bovine RAJ and human colonic epithelial cells. Using high-throughput RNA sequencing, we identified key bacterial genes and regulatory pathways that are significantly modulated in response to each specific host environment. Our findings reveal distinct expression patterns of virulence factors, adhesion proteins, and stress response genes in STEC O157:H7 grown in bovine RAJ cells as opposed to human colonic epithelial cells. Additionally, the comparative analysis highlights the potential role of certain genes in host adaptation and tissue-specific pathogenicity. Furthermore, this study sheds light on the potential factors contributing to the survival and persistence of STEC O157:H7 in the bovine reservoir and its ability to colonize and cause disease in humans.
Project description:Study on genome-wide expression in L.monocytogenes str4b F2365 exposed to five different biocides at three different concentrations
Project description:Candida albicans is a commensal yeast within the human microbiota with significant medical importance because of its pathogenic potential. The yeast produces biofilms, which are highly resistant to available antifungals. High level of antifungal resistance by C. albicans biofilms has resulted in the need for alternative treatment. Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonic acid has been reported to increase the susceptibility of C. albicans biofilms to azole. However, the underlining mechanism is unknown. To unravel the mechanism behind this phenomenon, identification of differentially regulated genes in C. albicans biofilms grown in the presence of arachidonic acid, fluconazole, and the combination of both compounds was conducted using RNAseq.
Project description:Novel anti-infective agents targeting Staphylococcus aureus and capable of increasing S. aureus susceptibility towards antibiotics are needed. One alternative approach is targeting the bacterial quorum sensing (QS) system. QS is a process by which bacteria produce and detect signal molecules and thereby coordinate their behaviour, virulence and biofilm formation in a cell-density-dependent manner. Hamamelitannin (HAM) was previously suggested to target the S. aureus QS system, thereby increasing the susceptibility of S. aureus biofilms towards vancomycin. However, mechanistic insights are still lacking. For this reason, we evaluated the effect of Hamamelitannin, vancomycin and combination treatment of Hamamelitannin and vancomycin on gene expression in S. aureus Mu50 biofilms.
Project description:Biocides are chemical compounds widely used in hospital settings for a variety of purposes, but mainly for disinfection. The chemical properties of a biocide, as well as the biocide concentration, influence which cellular targets are affected. Exposure of bacteria to residual concentrations of biocides could lead to development of increased resistance towards the biocide in use, as well as cross-resistance towards other antimicrobials, including antibiotics. The aim of this study was to examine whether biocides could induce any potentially relevant genes that could affect pathogen's drug resistance or fitness. By examining global gene expression of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 after exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of five biocides (benzalkonium chloride - BAC, chlorhexidine - CHX, ethanol - EtOH, hydrogen peroxide - H2O2, triclosan - TSN), we found that each biocide changed expression of different groups of genes and that exposure to ethanol caused changes in expression of the largest number of genes among all biocides. In general, the five biocides tested in this study at subinhibitory concentrations did not increase the resistance potential of the pathogen to other antimicrobials. We could, however, identify clusters of genes that could possibly help the strain to grow in the presence of a biocide in the medium. A culture of E. coli CFT073 without any biocide treatment served as the control sample. That culture was grown under the exact same conditions as the five biocide-treated samples. Each sample was collected in three biological replicates at the mid-exponential phase of growth.
Project description:Antimicrobials have been shown to select for changes in biofilm formation and multidrug susceptibility in common human pathogens. We investigated whether common food preservatives selected for these changes in the food pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Bacteria were exposed to four food preservatives in either planktonic cultures or biofilms grown on stainless steel beads. Cultures were passaged into fresh media supplemented with the food preservative every 72 hours. Following approximately 1000 generations of continuous preservative exposure, populations were sequenced to determine the single nucleotide polymorphisms that were selected for over evolutionary time.