Bacterial single-cell RNA sequencing captures biofilm transcriptional heterogeneity and differential responses to immune pressure.

ABSTRACT: Biofilm formation is an important mechanism of survival and persistence for many bacterial pathogens. These multicellular communities contain subpopulations of cells that display metabolic and transcriptional diversity along with recalcitrance to antibiotics and host immune defenses. Here, we present an optimized bacterial single-cell RNA sequencing method, BaSSSh-seq, to study Staphylococcus aureus diversity during biofilm growth and transcriptional adaptations following immune cell exposure. BaSSSh-seq captures extensive transcriptional heterogeneity during biofilm compared to planktonic growth. We quantify and visualize transcriptional regulatory networks across heterogeneous biofilm subpopulations and identify gene sets that are associated with a trajectory from planktonic to biofilm g

SUBMITTER: Korshoj LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11585574 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature