Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in a Brucella melitensis delta prlr mutant compared to the wild type strain. The mutants analyzed in this study are further described in A. Mirabella, R-M Yanez, R.M. Delrue, S. Uzureau, M.S. Zygmunt, A. Cloeckaert, X. De Bolle, J.J. Letesson (2012). The two component system PrlS/PrlR of Brucella melitensis is required for persistence in mice and appears to respond to ionic strength. Microbiology
Project description:Brucella spp. is an intracellular pathogen in vivo. The intracellular B. melitensis transcriptome was determined by initially enriched and then amplified B. melitensis RNA from total RNA of B. melitensis-infected HeLa cells. Analysis of microarray results identified 161 and 115 genes differentially expressed at 4 and 12 h p.i., respectively. Most of the genes (78%) differentially expressed were down-regulated at the earliest time point, but up-regulated (75%) at 12 h p.i. The analysis of the results indicates that Brucella undergo an adaptation period during the first 4 h p.i. that is overcome by 12 h p.i., permitting Brucella to replicate intracellularly. Specific genes and biological processes identified in this study will further help elucidate how Brucella act during the early infectious process to their eventual benefit and to the detriment of the naïve host. Keywords: Time course study of intracellular B. melitensis gene expression