Project description:To characterize regulons of alternative sigma factor SigH, SigL, and SigC in Listeria monocytogenes, in-frame mutant strains were created in the 10403S background. Regulons controlled by these 3 alternative sigma factors were characterized by whole-genome microarrays. The L. monocytogenes 10403S wild type and sigma factor null mutation strains were grown at 37 °C to stationary phase (defined in this study as growth to OD600 = 1.0, followed by incubation for an additional 3 h) prior to RNA isolation. Transcriptional profiles of 10403S wild type were compared to those of null mutation strain. In addition to stationary phase condition, SigC regulon was further characterized using heat stress (cultures grown to log phase at OD600 = 0.4, 37 °C and then exposed to heat at 55 °C for 10 min) and a condition with IPTG-inducible expression of sigC (sigC gene is placed under Pspac promoter using pLIV2 vector in wild type 10403S background). Under these conditions, expression profiles were compared between (i) wild type and sigC null mutant for heat stress and (ii) IPTG-inducible sigC strain and sigC null mutant, respectively. Using adjusted P < 0.05 and ≥ 1.5 fold change as cutoff values, microarray analyses identified 169 SigH-dependent, 51 SigL-dependent, and 3 SigC-dependent genes. Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes, alternative sigma factor, SigH, SigL, SigC
Project description:Listeria monocytogenes strain F2365 was the first strain representative of serotype 4b (lineage I) to be sequenced in 2004, suggesting it could become the model organism for this serotype, which is associated with most human outbreaks of listeriosis worldwide to date. F2365 itself is an outbreak strain involved in the Mexican-style soft cheese outbreak in California in 1985. In this study we show through phenotypic and transcriptomic analysis that L. monocytogenes strain F2365 has reduced ability to respond to stress due to the absence of a functional σB-dependent stress response system. F2365 shows no B-dependent ability to survive acid or oxidative stress nor B-dependent ability to infect Caco-2 epithelial cell in vitro or guinea pigs in vivo. Therefore, there is substantial evidence that F2365 is an atypical strain and is not a suitable representative of outbreak-associated serotype 4b strains.
