Nitrogen starvation induces persister cell formation in Escherichia coli
File(s)
Accepted version
Accepted version
Author(s)
Brown, Daniel
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
To cope with fluctuations in their environment bacteria have evolved multiple adaptive stress responses. One such response is the nitrogen regulation stress response, which allows bacteria such as Escherichia coli to cope with and overcome conditions of nitrogen limitation. This response is directed by the two-component system NtrBC, where NtrC acts as the major transcriptional regulator to activate the expression of genes to mount the response. Recently we showed that NtrC directly regulates the expression of the relA gene, the major (p)ppGpp synthetase in E. coli, coupling the nitrogen regulation stress and stringent responses. As elevated levels of (p)ppGpp have been implicated in the formation of persister cells, here I investigated whether nitrogen starvation promotes their formation and whether the NtrC-RelA regulatory cascade plays a role in this. The results reveal that both nitrogen starved E. coli synthesise (p)ppGpp and form a higher percentage of persister cells than non-starved cells, and that both NtrC and RelA are important for these processes. This provides novel insights into how the formation of persisters can be promoted in response to a nutritional stress.
Date Issued
2019-02-01
Date Acceptance
2018-11-02
Citation
Journal of Bacteriology, 2019, 201 (3)
ISSN
0021-9193
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Bacteriology
Volume
201
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2019 American Society for Microbiology.
All Rights Reserved.
All Rights Reserved.
Subjects
06 Biological Sciences
11 Medical And Health Sciences
07 Agricultural And Veterinary Sciences
Microbiology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-01-11