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Volume 167, Issue 10

-Serine induces distinct transcriptomes in diverse pathotypes Free

This article is part of the Environmental Sensing and Cell-Cell Communication collection

Abstract

Appropriate interpretation of environmental signals facilitates niche specificity in pathogenic bacteria. However, the responses of niche-specific pathogens to common host signals are poorly understood. -Serine (-ser) is a toxic metabolite present in highly variable concentrations at different colonization sites within the human host that we previously found is capable of inducing changes in gene expression. In this study, we made the striking observation that the global transcriptional response of three pathotypes – enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC), uropathogenic (UPEC) and neonatal meningitis-associated (NMEC) – to -ser was highly distinct. In fact, we identified no single differentially expressed gene common to all three strains. We observed the induction of ribosome-associated genes in extraintestinal pathogens UPEC and NMEC only, and the induction of purine metabolism genes in gut-restricted EHEC, and UPEC indicating distinct transcriptional responses to a common signal. UPEC and NMEC encode – a genetic locus required for detoxification and hence normal growth in the presence of -ser. Specific transcriptional responses were induced in strains accumulating -ser (WT EHEC and UPEC/NMEC mutants lacking the -ser-responsive transcriptional activator DsdC), corroborating the notion that -ser is an unfavourable metabolite if not metabolized. Importantly, many of the UPEC-associated transcriptome alterations correlate with published data on the urinary transcriptome, supporting the hypothesis that -ser sensing forms a key part of urinary niche adaptation in this pathotype. Collectively, our results demonstrate distinct pleiotropic responses to a common metabolite in diverse pathotypes, with important implications for niche selectivity.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): d-amino acids , E. coli , regulation and transcriptome
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • biotechnology and biological sciences research council (Award BB/M029646/1, BB/R006539/1)
    • Principle Award Recipient: AndrewJ Roe
  • tenovus
    • Principle Award Recipient: NickyO'Boyle
© 2021 The Authors
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2021-10-08
2024-05-06
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d-Serine induces distinct transcriptomes in diverse Escherichia coli pathotypes
Microbiology 167, 001093 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001093
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001093
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001093
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