In-Vivo Expression Profiling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections Reveals Niche-Specific and Strain-Independent Transcriptional Programs

• Published in: PloS one 2011-09, Vol.6 (9), p.e24235-e24235
• Main Authors: Bielecki, P, Puchalka, J, Wos-Oxley, M.L, Martins dos Santos, V.A.P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; biofilm formation; Biofilms; Bioinformatics; Biology; burn wound infections; Burns - microbiology; carbon; Cell Line, Tumor; Cloning; Combinatorial analysis; Cues; Data analysis; Drug resistance; Female; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Genetic aspects; Genetic research; Genetic variability; Genomes; Health aspects; Health sciences; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; identification; Immunology; Infection; Infections; Laboratories; Lactuca - microbiology; Leaves; Lettuce; Medical research; metabolic network analysis; Methods; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; microarray data; Multivariate analysis; Neoplasms, Experimental - microbiology; Neoplasms, Experimental - pathology; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Opportunist infection; opportunistic pathogen; Pathogenesis; Pathogens; Physiological aspects; Plant Diseases - microbiology; plant hosts; Plant Leaves - microbiology; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - genetics; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - physiology; Pseudomonas Infections - microbiology; Species Specificity; Statistical analysis; Strains (organisms); Synthetic biology; Transcription; Transcription (Genetics); Transcriptome; Variance analysis; Virulence; Virulence (Microbiology); virulence factors; Wounds
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024235

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a threatening, opportunistic pathogen causing disease in immunocompromised individuals. The hallmark of P. aeruginosa virulence is its multi-factorial and combinatorial nature. It renders such bacteria infectious for many organisms and it is often resistant to antibiotics. To gain insights into the physiology of P. aeruginosa during infection, we assessed the transcriptional programs of three different P. aeruginosa strains directly after isolation from burn wounds of humans. We compared the programs to those of the same strains using two infection models: a plant model, which consisted of the infection of the midrib of lettuce leaves, and a murine tumor model, which was obtained by infection of mice with an induced tumor in the abdomen. All control conditions of P. aeruginosa cells growing in suspension and as a biofilm were added to the analysis. We found that these different P. aeruginosa strains express a pool of distinct genetic traits that are activated under particular infection conditions regardless of their genetic variability. The knowledge herein generated will advance our understanding of P. aeruginosa virulence and provide valuable cues for the definition of prospective targets to develop novel intervention strategies.