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Volume 9, Issue 4

Transcriptional landscape of cultured under environmental and clinical conditions Open Access

Abstract

, a Gram-negative pathogen, is the causative agent of melioidosis in humans. This bacterium can be isolated from the soil, stagnant and salt-water bodies, and human and animal clinical specimens. While extensive studies have contributed to our understanding of pathogenesis, little is known about how a harmless soil bacterium adapts when it shifts to a human host and exhibits its virulence. The bacterium’s large genome encodes an array of factors that support the pathogen’s ability to survive under stressful conditions, including the host’s internal milieu. In this study, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis of cultured in human plasma versus soil extract media to provide insights into gene expression that governs bacterial adaptation and infectivity in the host. A total of 455 genes were differentially regulated; genes upregulated in grown in human plasma are involved in energy metabolism and cellular processes, whilst the downregulated genes mostly include fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis and regulatory function proteins. Further analysis identified a significant upregulation of biofilm-related genes in plasma, which was validated using the biofilm-forming assay and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, genes encoding known virulence factors such as capsular polysaccharide and flagella were also overexpressed, suggesting an overall enhancement of virulence potential when present in human plasma. This gene expression profile provides comprehensive information on ’s adaptation when shifted from the environment to the host. The induction of biofilm formation under host conditions may explain the difficulty in treating septic melioidosis.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): biofilm , Burkholderia pseudomallei , comparative transcriptomics , environmental niche and human plasma
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (Award FRGS/1/2016/SKK11/UKM/01/1)
    • Principle Award Recipient: SheilaNathan
  • Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Award DIP-2021-020)
    • Principle Award Recipient: SheilaNathan
© 2023 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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2023-04-05
2024-05-04
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Transcriptional landscape of Burkholderia pseudomallei cultured under environmental and clinical conditions
M Gen 9, 000982 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000982
/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.000982
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