Project description:Escherichia coli O157:H7 has caused serious outbreaks of foodborne illness via transmission in a variety of food vehicles, including unpasteurized apple juice, dried salami, and spinach. To understand how this pathogen responds to the multiple stresses of the food environment, we compared global transcription patterns after exposure to apple juice. Transcriptomes of mid-exponential and stationary phase cells were evaluated after 10 minutes in model apple juice (pH3.5) using microarrays probing 4,886 ORFs. Significant changes in gene expression were determined using R/MAANOVA and the Fs test. A total of 331 ORFs were significantly induced upon exposure of cells to model apple juice and included genes involved in the acid and osmotic stress responses as well as the oxidative stress response and envelope stress. Genes involved in the acid and osmotic stress responses, including asr, osmC, osmB, and osmY were significantly induced in response to model apple juice. Genes involved in the envelope stress response, known to be controlled by CpxR (cpxP, degP, and htpX), were significantly induced 2 to 15 fold upon exposure to apple juice, independent of growth phase. Inactivation of CpxRA resulted in a significant decrease in survival of O157:H7 in model apple juice compared to the isogenic parent strain. Of the 331 ORFs induced in model apple juice, 104 are O157-specific ORFs, including those encoding type three secretion effectors espJ, espB, espM2, espL3 and espZ. By elucidating the response of O157:H7 to acidic foods, we hope to gain insights into how this pathogen is able to survive in food matrices and how exposure to foods affects subsequent transmission and virulence. Keywords: stress
Project description:Escherichia coli O157:H7 has caused serious outbreaks of foodborne illness via transmission in a variety of food vehicles, including unpasteurized apple juice, dried salami, and spinach. To understand how this pathogen responds to the multiple stresses of the food environment, we compared global transcription patterns after exposure to apple juice. Transcriptomes of mid-exponential and stationary phase cells were evaluated after 10 minutes in model apple juice (pH3.5) using microarrays probing 4,886 ORFs. Significant changes in gene expression were determined using R/MAANOVA and the Fs test. A total of 331 ORFs were significantly induced upon exposure of cells to model apple juice and included genes involved in the acid and osmotic stress responses as well as the oxidative stress response and envelope stress. Genes involved in the acid and osmotic stress responses, including asr, osmC, osmB, and osmY were significantly induced in response to model apple juice. Genes involved in the envelope stress response, known to be controlled by CpxR (cpxP, degP, and htpX), were significantly induced 2 to 15 fold upon exposure to apple juice, independent of growth phase. Inactivation of CpxRA resulted in a significant decrease in survival of O157:H7 in model apple juice compared to the isogenic parent strain. Of the 331 ORFs induced in model apple juice, 104 are O157-specific ORFs, including those encoding type three secretion effectors espJ, espB, espM2, espL3 and espZ. By elucidating the response of O157:H7 to acidic foods, we hope to gain insights into how this pathogen is able to survive in food matrices and how exposure to foods affects subsequent transmission and virulence. Keywords: stress The results are based on O157:H7 Sakai exponential and stationary phase cultures grown in MOPS minimal medium and then exposed to model apple juice (pH 3.5, 37C) for 10 minutes. Differences in transcript levels were determined using a mixed model ANOVA in R/MAANOVA which tested for significant differences due to growth phase (exponential or stationary), treatment (MOPS or MAJ) and the interaction of these two factors using the following linear model: array+dye+sample (biological replicate)+ phase+treatment+phase*treatment. We incorporated the dye-swaps among the biological replicates.
Project description:Cinnamaldehyde is a natural antimicrobial and has been found to be effective against many foodborne pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7. Although its antimicrobial effects have been well investigated, limited information is available on its effects at the molecular level. Sublethal treatment at 200 mg/l cinnamaldehyde inhibited growth of E. coli O157:H7 at 37oC and for ≤ 2 h caused cell elongation, but from 2 to 4 h growth resumed and cells reverted to normal length. To understand this transient behaviour, genome-wide transcriptional analysis of E. coli O157:H7 was performed at 2 and 4 h exposure to cinnamaldehyde. Drastically different gene expression profiles were obtained at 2 and 4 h. At 2 h exposure, cinnamaldehyde induced overexpression of many oxidative stress-related genes, reduced DNA replication, and synthesis of protein, O-antigen and fimbriae. At 4 h, many cinnamaldehyde-induced repressive effects on E. coli O157:H7 gene expressions were reversed and oxidatve stress genes were nolonger differentially expressed.
Project description:Pathogenic biofilms have been associated with persistent infections due to their high resistance to antimicrobial agents. To identify non-toxic biofilm inhibitors for enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, indole-3-acetaldehyde was used and reduced E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation. Global transcriptome analyses revealed that indole-3-acetaldehyde most repressed two curli operons, csgBAC and csgDEFG, and induced tryptophanase (tnaAB) in E. coli O157:H7 biofilm cells. Electron microscopy showed that indole-3-acetaldehyde reduced curli production in E. coli O157:H7. Together, this study shows that Actinomycetales are an important resource of biofilm inhibitors as well as antibiotics.
Project description:Pathogenic biofilms have been associated with persistent infections due to high resistance to antimicrobial agents while commensal biofilms often fortify host immune system. Hence, controlling biofilm formation of both pathogenic bacteria and commensal bacteria is important in bacteria-related diseases. We investigated the effect of plant flavonoids on biofilm formation of both enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 and three commensal E. coli K-12 strains. Phloretin abundant in apples markedly reduced E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation without affecting the growth of planktonic cells while phloretin did not harm commensal E. coli K-12 biofilms. Also, phloretin reduced E. coli O157:H7 attachment to human colon epithelial cells. Global transcriptome analyses revealed that phloretin repressed toxin genes (hlyE and stx2), autoinducer-2 importer genes (lsrACDBF), a curli gene (csgA), and a dozens of prophage genes in E. coli O157:H7 cells. Electron microscopy confirmed that phroretin reduced the curli production in E. coli O157:H7. In addition, phloretin suppressed TNF-α-induced inflammatory response in vitro using human colonic epithelial cells. Moreover, in the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced rat colitis model, phloretin significantly ameliorated colon inflammation and body weight loss. Taken together, our results suggest that phloretin may act as an inhibitor of E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation as well as anti-inflammatory agent on inflammatory bowel diseases while leaving beneficial commensal E. coli biofilm intact.
Project description:Deletion of yhaO was found to signifcantly decrease type three secretion in EHEC O157:H7. Transcriptional profiles of Escherichia coli O157: H7 and the isogenic yhaO mutant were generated and compared.
Project description:Deletion of yedL was found to signifcantly decrease type three secretion in EHEC O157:H7. Transcriptional profiles of Escherichia coli O157: H7 and the isogenic yedL mutant were generated and compared.
Project description:Cinnamaldehyde is a natural antimicrobial and has been found to be effective against many foodborne pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7. Although its antimicrobial effects have been well investigated, limited information is available on its effects at the molecular level. Sublethal treatment at 200 mg/l cinnamaldehyde inhibited growth of E. coli O157:H7 at 37oC and for M-bM-^IM-$ 2 h caused cell elongation, but from 2 to 4 h growth resumed and cells reverted to normal length. To understand this transient behaviour, genome-wide transcriptional analysis of E. coli O157:H7 was performed at 2 and 4 h exposure to cinnamaldehyde. Drastically different gene expression profiles were obtained at 2 and 4 h. At 2 h exposure, cinnamaldehyde induced overexpression of many oxidative stress-related genes, reduced DNA replication, and synthesis of protein, O-antigen and fimbriae. At 4 h, many cinnamaldehyde-induced repressive effects on E. coli O157:H7 gene expressions were reversed and oxidatve stress genes were nolonger differentially expressed. Duplicate E. coli O157:H7 cultures with or without 200 mg/l cinnamaldehyde were incubated at 37M-BM-0C for M-bM-^IM-$ 4 h. Cinnamaldehyde-induced changes in gene expression profiles were compared at 2 and 4 h using Affymetrix Ginechip 2.0 microarrays.
Project description:Sodium benzoate is a widely used food antimicrobial in drinks and fruit juices. A microarray study was conducted to determine the transcriptional response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to 0.5% (w/v) sodium benzoate. Stationary phase E. coli O157:H7 grown in 150 ml Luria-Bertani broth (LB) was exposed to 0 (control) and 0.5% sodium benzoate. Each treatment was duplicated and sampled at 0 (immediately after exposure), 5, 15, 30, and 60 min. Total RNA was extracted and analyzed with E. coli 2.0 Gene Chips.