Project description:Here evidence is presented that MqsR and B3021 are a novel toxin-antitoxin (TA) system related to biofilm development and quorum sensing. Using whole-transcriptome studies and nickel enrichment DNA binding microarrays coupled with cell survival studies in which MqsR was overexpressed in isogenic mutants, we identified seven genes involved in MqsR toxicity (clpX, clpP, yfjZ, cspD, relB, relE, and hokA). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) confirmed consistent induction of the seven genes by the overexpression of MqsR as well as induction of nutrient starvation related genes (cstA, rpoS, and dps). Taken together, our results indicate that MqsR toxicity is caused via CspD (a DNA replication inhibitor), other TA systems (RelE/RelB and YfjZ), HokA (a small membrane toxin peptide), and nutrient-starvation conditions induced via CstA, RpoS, and Dps. Additionally, in vivo binding results show antitoxin B3021 binds to the promoter regions of genes encoding essential proteins for stress, growth and normal physiology.
Project description:Here evidence is presented that MqsR and B3021 are a novel toxin-antitoxin (TA) system related to biofilm development and quorum sensing. Using whole-transcriptome studies and nickel enrichment DNA binding microarrays coupled with cell survival studies in which MqsR was overexpressed in isogenic mutants, we identified seven genes involved in MqsR toxicity (clpX, clpP, yfjZ, cspD, relB, relE, and hokA). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) confirmed consistent induction of the seven genes by the overexpression of MqsR as well as induction of nutrient starvation related genes (cstA, rpoS, and dps). Taken together, our results indicate that MqsR toxicity is caused via CspD (a DNA replication inhibitor), other TA systems (RelE/RelB and YfjZ), HokA (a small membrane toxin peptide), and nutrient-starvation conditions induced via CstA, RpoS, and Dps. Additionally, in vivo binding results show antitoxin B3021 binds to the promoter regions of genes encoding essential proteins for stress, growth and normal physiology. Experiment Overall Design: Strain: E. coli K-12 BW25113 wt and mqsR deleted mutant Experiment Overall Design: Medium: LB medium Experiment Overall Design: Temperature: 37 oC Experiment Overall Design: Time: 24 h Experiment Overall Design: Cell type: Biofilm grown on glass wool and planktonic culture
Project description:E. coli K-12 BW25113 mutant strain yncC expression in biofilm cells relative to E. coli wild-type strain expression in biofilm cells. All samples were cultured in LB with glasswool at 37C for 15 hours and E. coli K-12 MG1655 mutant yncC colony cells vs wild type colony cells in LB plates 15h 37C. Quorum-sensing signal autoinducer 2 (AI-2) stimulates Escherichia coli biofilm formation through the motility regulator MqsR that induces expression of the putative transcription factor encoded by yncC. Here we show YncC increases biofilm formation by decreasing mucoidy (corroborated by decreased exopolysaccharide production and increased sensitivity to bacteriophage P1 infection). Differential gene expression and gel shift assays demonstrated that YncC is a repressor of the predicted periplasmic protein-encoding gene ybiM which was corroborated by the isogenic yncC ybiM double mutation which repressed the yncC phenotypes (biofilm formation, mucoidy, and bacteriophage resistance). Through nickel-enrichment microarrays and additional gel shift assays, we found that the putative transcription factor B3023 (directly upstream of mqsR) binds the yncC promoter. Overexpressing MqsR, AI-2 import regulators LsrR/LsrK, and AI-2 exporter TqsA induced yncC transcription whereas the AI-2 synthase LuxS and B3023 repressed yncC. MqsR has a toxic effect on E. coli bacterial growth which is partially reduced by the b3023 mutation. Therefore, AI-2 quorum-sensing control of biofilm formation is mediated through regulator MqsR that induces expression of the transcription factor YncC which serves to inhibit the expression of periplasmic YbiM; this inhibition of YbiM prevents it from overexpressing exopolysaccharide (causing mucoidy) and prevents YbiM from inhibiting biofilm formation. Keywords: biofilm gene expression and colony gene expression
Project description:Transcription profiles in BL21, BL21/pOri1 and BL21/pOri2 were analysed using DNA microarray technology. BL21, BL21/pOri1 or BL21/pOri2 strains were cultured at chemostat status and harvested after the cultivation arrived steady status. Keywords: Effects of plasmid DNA on Escherichia coli metabolism
Project description:Persisters are cells which evade stresses like antibiotics and which are characterized by reduced metabolism and a lack of genetic alterations required to achieve this state. We showed previously that MqsR and MqsA of Escherichia coli are a toxin-antitoxin pair that influence cell physiology (e.g., biofilm formation and motility) via RNase activity as well as through regulation of toxin CspD. Here, we show that deletion of the mqsRA locus decreases persister cell formation and, consistent with this result, overexpression of MqsR increases persister cell formation. Furthermore, toxins Hha, CspD, and HokA increase persister cell formation. In addition, by overproducing MqsR in a series of isogenic mutants, we show that Hha and CspD are necessary for persister cell formation via MqsR overexpression. Surprisingly, Hfq, a small RNA chaperone, decreases persistence. A whole-transcriptome study shows that Hfq induces transport-related genes (oppA, oppB, oppC, oppD, oppF, and dppA), outer membrane protein-related genes (ybfM and ybfN), toxins (hha), and proteases (clpX, clpP, and lon). Taken together, these results indicate that toxins CspD and Hha influence persister cell formation via MqsR and that Hfq plays an important role in the regulation of persister cell formation via regulation of transport or outer membrane proteins.
Project description:This research focuses on the design, manufacturing and validation of a new E. coli whole-genome tiling micraorray platform for novel RNA transcript discovery. A whole-genome tiling microarray allows both annotated genes as well as previously unknown RNA transcripts to be detected and quantified at once. The E. coli MG1655 genome is re-acquired with next-generation sequencing and then used to design the tiling microarray with the thermodynamic analysis program Picky. Validations are performed by subjecting E. coli under various growth conditions and then using the tiling microarrays to verify expected gene expression patterns.
Project description:Background: Based on 32 Escherichia coli and Shigella genome sequences, we have developed an E. coli pan-genome microarray. Publicly available genomes were annotated in a consistent manor to define all currently known genes potentially present in the species. The chip design was evaluated by hybridization of DNA from two sequenced E. coli strains, K-12 MG1655 (a commensal) and O157:H7 EDL933 (an enterotoxigenic E. coli). A dual channel and single channel analysis approach was compared for the comparative genomic hybridization experiments. Moreover, the microarray was used to characterize four unsequenced probiotic E. coli strains, currently marketed for beneficial effects on the human gut flora. Results: Based on the genomes included in this study, we were able to group together 2,041 genes that were present in all 32 genomes. Furthermore, we predict that the size of the E. coli core genome will approach ~1,560 essential genes, considerably less than previous estimates. Although any individual E. coli genome contains between 4,000 and 5,000 genes, we identified more than twice as many (11,872) distinct gene groups in the total gene pool (“pan-genome”) examined for microarray design. Benchmarking of the design based on sequenced control strain samples demonstrated a high sensitivity and relatively low false positive rate. Moreover, the array was highly sufficient to investigate the gene content of apathogenic isolates, despite the strong bias towards pathogenic E. coli strains that have been sequenced so far. Our analysis of four probiotic E. coli strains demonstrate that they share a gene pool very similar to the E. coli K-12 strains but also show significant similarity with enteropathogenic strains. Nonetheless, virulence genes were largely absent. Strain-specific genes found in probiotic E. coli but absent in E. coli K12 were most frequently phage-related genes, transposases and other genes related to mobile DNA, and metabolic enzymes or factors that may offer colonization fitness, which together with their asymptomatic nature may explain their nature. Conclusion: This high-density microarray provides an excellent tool for characterizing either DNA content or gene expression from unknown E. coli strains. Keywords: Comparative genomic hybridizations
Project description:Counting DNA reads using whole genome sequencing is providing new insight into DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR) in the model organism Escherichia coli. We describe the application of RecA chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to genomic DNA sequencing (RecA-ChIP-seq) and marker frequency analysis (MFA) to analyse the genomic consequences of DSBR.
Project description:We describe the design and evaluate the use of a high density oligonuclotide microarray covering seven sequenced E. coli genomes in addition to several sequenced E. coli plasmids, bacteriophages, pathogenicity islands and virulence genes. Its utility is demonstrated for comparative genomic profiling of two unsequenced strains, O175:H16 D1 and O157:H7 3538 as well as two well-known control strains, K-12 W3110 and O157:H7 EDL933. By using fluorescently labelled genomic DNA to query the microarrays and subsequently analyse common virulence genes and phage elements, and perform whole genome comparisons, we observed that O175:H16 D1 is a K-12 like strain and confirmed that its phi3538 phage element originated from the E. coli 3538 strain with which it shares a substantial proportion of phage elements. Moreover, a number of genes involved in DNA transfer and recombination was identified in both new strains providing a likely explanation for their capability to transfer phi3538 between them. Analyses of control samples demonstrated that results using our custom designed microarray were representative of the true biology, e.g. by confirming the presence of all known chromosomal phage elements as well as 98.8 and 97.7 percent of queried chromosomal genes for the two control strains. Finally, we demonstrate that use of spatial information, in terms of the physical chromosomal locations of probes, improves the analysis. Keywords: Genomic DNA hybridizations
Project description:Persisters are cells which evade stresses like antibiotics and which are characterized by reduced metabolism and a lack of genetic alterations required to achieve this state. We showed previously that MqsR and MqsA of Escherichia coli are a toxin-antitoxin pair that influence cell physiology (e.g., biofilm formation and motility) via RNase activity as well as through regulation of toxin CspD. Here, we show that deletion of the mqsRA locus decreases persister cell formation and, consistent with this result, overexpression of MqsR increases persister cell formation. Furthermore, toxins Hha, CspD, and HokA increase persister cell formation. In addition, by overproducing MqsR in a series of isogenic mutants, we show that Hha and CspD are necessary for persister cell formation via MqsR overexpression. Surprisingly, Hfq, a small RNA chaperone, decreases persistence. A whole-transcriptome study shows that Hfq induces transport-related genes (oppA, oppB, oppC, oppD, oppF, and dppA), outer membrane protein-related genes (ybfM and ybfN), toxins (hha), and proteases (clpX, clpP, and lon). Taken together, these results indicate that toxins CspD and Hha influence persister cell formation via MqsR and that Hfq plays an important role in the regulation of persister cell formation via regulation of transport or outer membrane proteins. Strains: E. coli BW25113 K-12 hfq deleted mutant vs. wild-type Medium: LB Culture: Planktonic cell grown OD=0.5, adjusted OD=1.0, and then exposed to 100 ug/mL ampicillin for 2 h.