LptD depletion disrupts morphological homeostasis and upregulates carbohydrate metabolism in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: In a previous in silico study, we identified an essential outer membrane protein (LptD) as an attractive target for development of novel antibiotics. Here, we characterized the effects of LptD depletion on Escherichia coli physiology and morphology. An E. coli CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) strain was constructed to allow control of lptD expression. Induction of the CRISPRi system led to ∼440-fold reduction of gene expression. Dose-dependent growth inhibition was observed, where strong knockdown effectively inhibited initial growth but partial knockdown exhibited maximum overall killing after 24 h. LptD depletion led to morphological changes where cells exhibited long, filamentous cell shapes and cytoplasmic accumulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Transcription

SUBMITTER: Frisinger FS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10495129 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature