Formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm in the presence of sub-lethal concentrations of disinfectants: a transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://aem.asm.org/content/early/2017/10/09/AEM.01643-17 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01643-17 |
| Keywords | STRESS RESISTANCE; QUALITY-CONTROL; EXPRESSION; BIOCONDUCTOR; PREVALENCE; REGULATORS; STRATEGIES; VIRULENCE; CATALASE; SAMPLES |
| Description | Staphylococcus aureus is a common biofilm-forming pathogen. Low doses of disinfectants have previously been reported to promote biofilm formation and to increase virulence. The aim of this study was to use RNA-seq analysis to investigate global transcriptional changes in S. aureus in response to sub-lethal concentrations of commonly used food industry disinfectants (ethanol, Et; chloramine T, ChT; and their combination, Et_ChT), in order to better understand the effects of these agents on biofilm formation. Treatment with Et and Et_ChT resulted in more significantly altered expression profiles, compared to ChT. Our results revealed that Et and Et_ChT treatments enhanced the expression of genes responsible for regulation of gene expression (sigB), cell surface factors (clfAB), adhesins (sdrDE) and capsular polysaccharides (cap8EFGL) resulting in more intact biofilm. In addition, in this study we were able to identify the pathways involved in the adaptation of S. aureus to the stress of ChT treatment. Further, Et suppressed the effect of ChT on gene expression when these agents were used together at sub-lethal concentrations. These data show that in the presence of sub-lethal concentrations of tested disinfectants, S. aureus cells triggers protective mechanisms and tries to cope with them. |
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