Project description:In several gram-positive bacterial genera including Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Listeria, sigma B (σB) has been identified as a stress-responsive alternative sigma factor responsible for initiating transcription of genes (the σB regulon) involved in response to stress-inducing environmental conditions. In L. monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen of considerable threat to public health and the food industry, σB is involved in regulation of stress response and virulence gene expression. We have defined the σB regulon in L. monocytogenes during early stationary phase and under salt stress (0.3M NaCl) conditions using whole-genome microarrays, identifying 168 genes that generated ≥2.0-fold higher signals in the parental strain 10403S than in an isogenic sigB null mutant (ΔsigB), categorized into nine functional groups including stress-response genes (12), virulence genes (5), and genes related to transport (26) and metabolism (45). To gain a broader biological perspective of the σB stress response system, we applied these microarrays to Listeria innocua under the same environmental conditions. Our studies revealed 64 candidates in the L. innocua σB regulon with ≥2.0-fold higher signals in the parent than in a ΔsigB mutant; 49 of the 64 genes overlap with the L. monocytogenes σB regulon, indicating extensive overlap in σB-controlled genes between the two species. Further transcriptional analysis using TaqMan quantitative real time RT-PCR was performed for selected genes that displayed contrasting fold changes among the four microarray data sets (two stress conditions per species). We report novel members of the L. monocytogenes σB regulon, as well as the initial definition of the L. innocua σB regulon. Our comparative studies of the σB stress response systems in L. monocytogenes and L. innocua revealed features of the σB regulon that are conserved and unique to the two species. Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, SigB regulon, salt stress, stationary phase
Project description:The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes uses a number of transcriptional regulators, including the negative regulator HrcA, to control gene expression under different environmental conditions and in response to stress. Gene expression patterns of DhrcA stationary phase cells were compared to wt to identify hrcA-dependent genes. We identified 61 HrcA-dependent genes that showed significant expression ratios (adj. P < 0.05), with ≥ 1.5-fold differential expression between ΔhrcA and wt. Combined with microarray analysis, Hidden Markov Model searches show HrcA directly repress at least 8 genes. Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes, HrcA regulon, stationary phase
Project description:The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes uses a number of transcriptional regulators, including the negative regulator CtsR, to control gene expression under different environmental conditions and in response to stress. Gene expression patterns of DctsR log phase cells were compared to both wt and ictsR-mcsA log phase cells grown with 0.5mM IPTG to identify CtsR-dependent genes.We identified 62 CtsR-dependent genes that showed significant expression ratios (adj. P < 0.05), with ≥ 1.5-fold differential expression either between ΔctsR and wt or between ΔctsR and ictsR-mcsA. Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes, CtsR regulon, log phase
Project description:The stationary phase stress response transcriptome of the human bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes was defined using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) with the Illumina Genome Analyzer. Specifically, bacterial transcriptomes were compared between stationary phase cells of L. monocytogenes 10403S and an otherwise isogenic DsigB mutant, which does not express the alternative sigma factor σB, a major regulator of genes contributing to stress response. Keywords: Transcriptome and differential expression analyses
Project description:Several Toll-like receptors are activated by Listeria monocytogenes infection, resulting in the activation of MyD88 dependent signaling pathway. However, the negative role of MyD88 in gene expresson is unclear. To address this, we performed microarray analysis of mRNAs from WT or MyD88-/- peritoneal macrophages infected with Listeria monocytogenes.