Genome-Wide Transcriptional Profiling of Clostridium Perfringens SM101 During Sporulation Extends the Core of Putative Sporulation Genes and Genes Determining Spore Properties and Germination Characteristics

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2015 May 16

PMID 25978838

Citations 12

Authors

Yinghua Xiao

Sacha A F T van Hijum

Tjakko Abee

Marjon H J Wells-Bennik

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The formation of bacterial spores is a highly regulated process and the ultimate properties of the spores are determined during sporulation and subsequent maturation. A wide variety of genes that are expressed during sporulation determine spore properties such as resistance to heat and other adverse environmental conditions, dormancy and germination responses. In this study we characterized the sporulation phases of C. perfringens enterotoxic strain SM101 based on morphological characteristics, biomass accumulation (OD600), the total viable counts of cells plus spores, the viable count of heat resistant spores alone, the pH of the supernatant, enterotoxin production and dipicolinic acid accumulation. Subsequently, whole-genome expression profiling during key phases of the sporulation process was performed using DNA microarrays, and genes were clustered based on their time-course expression profiles during sporulation. The majority of previously characterized C. perfringens germination genes showed upregulated expression profiles in time during sporulation and belonged to two main clusters of genes. These clusters with up-regulated genes contained a large number of C. perfringens genes which are homologs of Bacillus genes with roles in sporulation and germination; this study therefore suggests that those homologs are functional in C. perfringens. A comprehensive homology search revealed that approximately half of the upregulated genes in the two clusters are conserved within a broad range of sporeforming Firmicutes. Another 30% of upregulated genes in the two clusters were found only in Clostridium species, while the remaining 20% appeared to be specific for C. perfringens. These newly identified genes may add to the repertoire of genes with roles in sporulation and determining spore properties including germination behavior. Their exact roles remain to be elucidated in future studies.

Citing Articles

Evaluation of candidate reference genes stability for gene expression analysis by reverse transcription qPCR in Clostridium perfringens.

Williams M, Ghanem M Sci Rep. 2022; 12(1):19434.

PMID: 36372839 PMC: 9659559. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23804-7.

Characterization of Putative Sporulation and Germination Genes in Food-Poisoning Strain SM101.

Talukdar P, Sarker M Microorganisms. 2022; 10(8).

PMID: 35893539 PMC: 9332280. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081481.

Insights into the Structure and Protein Composition of Spores Formed at Different Temperatures.

Malleck T, Fekraoui F, Bornard I, Henry C, Haudebourg E, Planchon S Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(1).

PMID: 35008975 PMC: 8745062. DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010550.

Comparative Genome Analysis and Spore Heat Resistance Assay Reveal a New Component to Population Structure and Genome Epidemiology Within Enterotoxin-Carrying Isolates.

Jaakkola K, Virtanen K, Lahti P, Keto-Timonen R, Lindstrom M, Korkeala H Front Microbiol. 2021; 12:717176.

PMID: 34566921 PMC: 8456093. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.717176.

Foodborne Outbreak during an Athletic Event in Northern Greece, June 2019.

Mellou K, Kyritsi M, Chrysostomou A, Sideroglou T, Georgakopoulou T, Hadjichristodoulou C Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019; 16(20).

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