Project description:Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a food-borne pathogen that causes bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Hfq is an sRNA chaperone protein that is involved in post-transcriptional regulation of virulence genes in pathogenic bacteria. In EHEC strain EDL933, Hfq acts a negative regulator of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) that encodes most of the proteins involved in type three secretion and attaching and effacing lesions. We deleted hfq in E. coli O157:H7 strain 86-24 and compared global transcription profiles of the hfq mutant to the wild type strain in exponential growth phase. Deletion of hfq affected transcription of genes common to nonpathogenic and pathogenic strains of E. coli as well as pathogen-specific genes. Downregulated genes in the hfq mutant included ler as well as genes encoded in LEE2-5 that encode for type three secretion and AE lesion formation. Decreased expression of the LEE genes in the hfq mutant occurred at mid-, late, and stationary growth phases in both LB and DMEM media as detected by qRT-PCR. We also confirmed decreased regulation of the LEE genes by examining secreted proteins and AE lesion formation by the hfq mutant and WT strains. Deletion of hfq also caused decreased expression of the two-component system qseBC involved in inter-kingdom signaling and virulence gene regulation in EHEC as well as an increase in stx2AB expression that encodes for the deadly Shiga toxin. Altogether, these data indicate that Hfq plays a different regulatory role in EHEC 86-24 from what has been reported for EHEC strain EDL933 and that the role of Hfq in EHEC virulence regulation extends beyond the LEE.
Project description:Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a food-borne pathogen that causes bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Hfq is an sRNA chaperone protein that is involved in post-transcriptional regulation of virulence genes in pathogenic bacteria. In EHEC strain EDL933, Hfq acts a negative regulator of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) that encodes most of the proteins involved in type three secretion and attaching and effacing lesions. We deleted hfq in E. coli O157:H7 strain 86-24 and compared global transcription profiles of the hfq mutant to the wild type strain in exponential growth phase. Deletion of hfq affected transcription of genes common to nonpathogenic and pathogenic strains of E. coli as well as pathogen-specific genes. Downregulated genes in the hfq mutant included ler as well as genes encoded in LEE2-5 that encode for type three secretion and AE lesion formation. Decreased expression of the LEE genes in the hfq mutant occurred at mid-, late, and stationary growth phases in both LB and DMEM media as detected by qRT-PCR. We also confirmed decreased regulation of the LEE genes by examining secreted proteins and AE lesion formation by the hfq mutant and WT strains. Deletion of hfq also caused decreased expression of the two-component system qseBC involved in inter-kingdom signaling and virulence gene regulation in EHEC as well as an increase in stx2AB expression that encodes for the deadly Shiga toxin. Altogether, these data indicate that Hfq plays a different regulatory role in EHEC 86-24 from what has been reported for EHEC strain EDL933 and that the role of Hfq in EHEC virulence regulation extends beyond the LEE. Comparison of transcriptional regulation of the WT 86-24 isolate and the hfq mutant for the identification of regulated targets that were followed up by functional analysis.
Project description:Deletion of yedL was found to signifcantly decrease type three secretion in EHEC O157:H7. Transcriptional profiles of Escherichia coli O157: H7 and the isogenic yedL mutant were generated and compared.
Project description:Deletion of yhaO was found to signifcantly decrease type three secretion in EHEC O157:H7. Transcriptional profiles of Escherichia coli O157: H7 and the isogenic yhaO mutant were generated and compared.
Project description:Pathogenic biofilms have been associated with persistent infections due to their high resistance to antimicrobial agents. To identify non-toxic biofilm inhibitors for enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, indole-3-acetaldehyde was used and reduced E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation. Global transcriptome analyses revealed that indole-3-acetaldehyde most repressed two curli operons, csgBAC and csgDEFG, and induced tryptophanase (tnaAB) in E. coli O157:H7 biofilm cells. Electron microscopy showed that indole-3-acetaldehyde reduced curli production in E. coli O157:H7. Together, this study shows that Actinomycetales are an important resource of biofilm inhibitors as well as antibiotics.
Project description:Cinnamaldehyde is a natural antimicrobial and has been found to be effective against many foodborne pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7. Although its antimicrobial effects have been well investigated, limited information is available on its effects at the molecular level. Sublethal treatment at 200 mg/l cinnamaldehyde inhibited growth of E. coli O157:H7 at 37oC and for ≤ 2 h caused cell elongation, but from 2 to 4 h growth resumed and cells reverted to normal length. To understand this transient behaviour, genome-wide transcriptional analysis of E. coli O157:H7 was performed at 2 and 4 h exposure to cinnamaldehyde. Drastically different gene expression profiles were obtained at 2 and 4 h. At 2 h exposure, cinnamaldehyde induced overexpression of many oxidative stress-related genes, reduced DNA replication, and synthesis of protein, O-antigen and fimbriae. At 4 h, many cinnamaldehyde-induced repressive effects on E. coli O157:H7 gene expressions were reversed and oxidatve stress genes were nolonger differentially expressed.
Project description:The transcriptome of Escherichia coli K-12 has been widely studied over a variety of conditions for the past decade while such studies involving E. coli O157:H7, its pathogenic cousin, are just now being conducted. To better understand the impact of an anaerobic environment on E. coli O157:H7, global transcript levels of strain EDL933 cells grown aerobically were compared to cells grown anaerobically using microarrays.
Project description:Transcript abundance in Escherichia coli O157:H7 was determined in the presence or absence of pulsed expression of the small RNA, AsxR.
Project description:The transcriptome of Escherichia coli K-12 has been widely studied over a variety of conditions for the past decade while such studies involving E. coli O157:H7, its pathogenic cousin, are just now being conducted. To better understand the impact of intracellular life within a ruminant and environmental protozoan on E. coli O157:H7, global transcript levels of strain EDL933 cells inside Acanthamoeba were compared to cell grown in the protozoan media (ATCC PYG712) by microarray.