Stationary-phase genes upregulated by polyamines are responsible for the formation of Escherichia coli persister cells tolerant to netilmicin.

ABSTRACT: Persisters are rare phenotypic variants of regular bacterial cells that survive lethal antibiotics or stresses owing to slowing down of their metabolism. Recently, we have shown that polyamine putrescine can upregulate persister cell formation in Escherichia coli via the stimulation of rpoS expression, encoding a master regulator of general stress response. We hypothesized that rmf and yqjD, the stationary-phase genes responsible for ribosome inactivation, might be good candidates for the similar role owing to their involvement in translational arrest and the ability to be affected by polyamines. Using reporter gene fusions or single and multiple knockout mutations in rpoS, rmf and yqjD genes, we show in this work that (i) E. coli polyamines spermidine and cadaverine can upregulate persist

SUBMITTER: Tkachenko AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5827576 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature