1887

Abstract

is a food-borne pathogen that can persist and grow under a wide variety of environmental conditions including low pH and high osmolarity. The alternative sigma factor contributes to survival under extreme conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify and confirm specific -dependent genes in and to characterize their expression patterns under various stress conditions. , and were identified as putative -dependent genes based on the presence of a predicted -dependent promoter sequence upstream of each gene. and encode known and putative compatible solute transporter proteins, respectively, and encodes a conjugated bile salt hydrolase (BSH). Reporter fusions and semi-quantitative RT-PCR techniques were used to confirm -dependent regulation of these stress-response genes and to determine their expression patterns in response to environmental stresses. RT-PCR demonstrated that , and transcript levels are reduced in stationary-phase Δ cells relative to levels present in wild-type cells. Furthermore, BSH activity is abolished in a Δ strain. RT-PCR confirmed growth-phase-dependent expression of , with highest levels of expression in stationary-phase cells. The wild-type strain exhibited two- and threefold induction of expression and seven- and fivefold induction of expression following 10 and 15 min exposure to 0·5 M KCl, respectively, as determined by RT-PCR, suggesting rapid induction of activity in exponential-phase upon exposure to salt stress. Single-copy chromosomal reporter fusions also showed significant induction of expression following exposure of exponential-phase cells to increased salt concentrations (0·5 M NaCl or 0·5 M KCl). In conjunction with recent findings that indicate a role for and in virulence, the data presented here provide further evidence of specific -mediated contributions to both environmental stress resistance and intra-host survival in .

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2003-11-01
2024-03-28
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