scholarly journals Investigating the Effects of Osmolytes and Environmental pH on Bacterial Persisters

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Karki ◽  
Mehmet A. Orman
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
General Notion ◽  
Late Stationary Phase ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Persister Cells ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Phenotype Microarrays ◽  
Ph Conditions ◽  
Slow Growing

ABSTRACTBacterial persisters are phenotypic variants that temporarily demonstrate an extraordinary tolerance towards antibiotics. Persisters have been linked to the recalcitrance of biofilm related infections; hence, a complete understanding of the physiology of persisters can lead to improvement of therapeutic strategies associated with such infections. Mechanisms pertaining to persister formation are known to be related to stress response pathways triggered from intra- or extra-cellular stress factors. Unfortunately, studies demonstrating the effects of osmolyte- and/or pH- induced stresses on bacterial persistence are largely missing. To fill this knowledge gap within the field, here we studied the effects of various osmolytes and pH conditions onEscherichia colipersistence with the use of phenotype microarrays and antibiotic tolerance assays. Although we found that a number of chemicals and pH environments, including urea, sodium nitrite and acidic pH, significantly reduced persister formation inE. colicompared to no-osmolyte/no-buffer controls, this reduction in persister levels was lessened in late-stationary-phase cultures. Our results further demonstrated a positive correlation between cell growth and persister formation, which challenges the general notion in the field that slow-growing cultures have more persister cells than fast-growing cultures.

scholarly journals Investigating the Effects of Osmolytes and Environmental pH on Bacterial Persisters

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Karki ◽  
Sayed Golam Mohiuddin ◽  
Pouria Kavousi ◽  
Mehmet A. Orman
Keyword(s):  
Stress Factors ◽  
General Notion ◽  
Late Stationary Phase ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Persister Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Phenotype Microarrays ◽  
Ph Conditions ◽  
Slow Growing

ABSTRACT Bacterial persisters are phenotypic variants that temporarily demonstrate an extraordinary tolerance toward antibiotics. Persisters have been linked to the recalcitrance of biofilm-related infections; hence, a complete understanding of their physiology can lead to improvement of therapeutic strategies for such infections. Mechanisms pertaining to persister formation are thought to be associated with stress response pathways triggered by intra- or extracellular stress factors. Unfortunately, studies demonstrating the effects of osmolyte- and/or pH-induced stresses on bacterial persistence are largely missing. To fill this knowledge gap within the field, we studied the effects of various osmolytes and pH conditions on Escherichia coli persistence with the use of phenotype microarrays and antibiotic tolerance assays. Although we found that a number of chemicals and pH environments, including urea, sodium nitrite, and acidic pH, significantly reduced persister formation in E. coli compared to no-osmolyte/no-buffer controls, this reduction in persister levels was less pronounced in late-stationary-phase cultures. Our results further demonstrated a positive correlation between cell growth and persister formation, which challenges the general notion in the field that slow-growing cultures have more persister cells than fast-growing cultures.

scholarly journals In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of the Potential of Escherichia coli Phages to Treat Infections and Survive Gastric Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1869
Author(s):  
Joanna Kaczorowska ◽  
Eoghan Casey ◽  
Gabriele A. Lugli ◽  
Marco Ventura ◽  
David J. Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Composite Mixture ◽  
Ph Conditions ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Higher Sensitivity

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Shigella ssp. infections are associated with high rates of mortality, especially in infants in developing countries. Due to increasing levels of global antibiotic resistance exhibited by many pathogenic organisms, alternative strategies to combat such infections are urgently required. In this study, we evaluated the stability of five coliphages (four Myoviridae and one Siphoviridae phage) over a range of pH conditions and in simulated gastric conditions. The Myoviridae phages were stable across the range of pH 2 to 7, while the Siphoviridae phage, JK16, exhibited higher sensitivity to low pH. A composite mixture of these five phages was tested in vivo in a Galleria mellonella model. The obtained data clearly shows potential in treating E. coli infections prophylactically.

Impact of Preinoculation Culture Conditions on the Behavior of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Inoculated onto Romaine Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Plants and Cut Leaf Surfaces

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 1553-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER G. THEOFEL ◽  
LINDA J. HARRIS
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Escherichia Coli O157 ◽  
Late Stationary Phase ◽  
Romaine Lettuce ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Leaf Surfaces ◽  
Inoculum Preparation

Inoculum preparation methods can impact growth or survival of organisms inoculated into foods, thus complicating direct comparison of results among studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate preinoculation culture preparation for impact on Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated onto leaves of romaine lettuce plants and cut leaf surfaces. E. coli O157:H7 was grown quiescently or shaken at 15, 25, or 37°C to different growth phases in tryptic soy or M9 minimal salts broth or agar. Cells were harvested, washed, and suspended in 0.1% peptone, Milli Q water, or well water and refrigerated for 0 or 18 h. Prepared inoculum was spotted onto cut romaine lettuce (10 μl; 3 × 104 CFU/10 g) or onto romaine lettuce plants (20 μl; 3 × 106 CFU per leaf). Cut lettuce was sealed in 100-cm2 bags (made from a commercial polymer film) and incubated at 5 or 20°C. Lettuce plants were held at 23°C for 24 h. For all tested conditions, levels of E. coli O157:H7 increased at 20°Concut lettuce and decreased on cut lettuce stored at 5°C or on leaves of lettuce plants. At 20°C, preinoculation culture conditions had little impact on growth of E. coli O157:H7 on cut lettuce. However, survival at 5°C was significantly better (P < 0.05) for cultures grown at 15 or 37°C in minimal medium and to late stationary phase. Impact of preinoculation handling on survival on lettuce plants was less clear due to relatively high standard deviations observed among samples.

scholarly journals The Chromosomal Toxin Gene yafQ Is a Determinant of Multidrug Tolerance for Escherichia coli Growing in a Biofilm

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 2253-2258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe J. Harrison ◽  
William D. Wade ◽  
Sarah Akierman ◽  
Caterina Vacchi-Suzzi ◽  
Carol A. Stremick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Cell Counting ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Toxin Gene ◽  
Persister Cells ◽  
E Coli

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli is refractory to elevated doses of antibiotics when it is growing in a biofilm, and this is potentially due to high numbers of multidrug-tolerant persister cells in the surface-adherent population. Previously, the chromosomal toxin-antitoxin loci hipBA and relBE have been linked to the frequency at which persister cells occur in E. coli populations. In the present study, we focused on the dinJ-yafQ-encoded toxin-antitoxin system and hypothesized that deletion of the toxin gene yafQ might influence cell survival in antibiotic-exposed biofilms. By using confocal laser scanning microscopy and viable cell counting, it was determined that a ΔyafQ mutant produced biofilms with a structure and a cell density equivalent to those of the parental strain. In-depth susceptibility testing identified that relative to wild-type E. coli, the ΔyafQ strain had up to a ∼2,400-fold decrease in cell survival after the biofilms were exposed to bactericidal concentrations of cefazolin or tobramycin. Corresponding to these data, controlled overexpression of yafQ from a high-copy-number plasmid resulted in up to a ∼10,000-fold increase in the number of biofilm cells surviving exposure to these bactericidal drugs. In contrast, neither the inactivation nor the overexpression of yafQ affected the tolerance of biofilms to doxycycline or rifampin (rifampicin). Furthermore, deletion of yafQ did not affect the tolerance of stationary-phase planktonic cells to any of the antibacterials tested. These results suggest that yafQ mediates the tolerance of E. coli biofilms to multiple but specific antibiotics; moreover, our data imply that this cellular pathway for persistence is likely different from that of multidrug-tolerant cells in stationary-phase planktonic cell cultures.

scholarly journals Subinhibitory Concentrations of Bacteriostatic Antibiotics Induce relA-Dependent and relA-Independent Tolerance to β-Lactams

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Kudrin ◽  
Vallo Varik ◽  
Sofia Raquel Alves Oliveira ◽  
Jelena Beljantseva ◽  
Teresa Del Peso Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trna Synthetase ◽  
Growth Stress ◽  
Amino Acid Starvation ◽  
Bacterial Metabolism ◽  
Persister Cells ◽  
Biochemical System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Bacterial Cultures ◽  
A Site

ABSTRACTThe nucleotide (p)ppGpp is a key regulator of bacterial metabolism, growth, stress tolerance, and virulence. During amino acid starvation, theEscherichia coli(p)ppGpp synthetase RelA is activated by deacylated tRNA in the ribosomal A-site. An increase in (p)ppGpp is believed to drive the formation of antibiotic-tolerant persister cells, prompting the development of strategies to inhibit (p)ppGpp synthesis. We show that in a biochemical system from purifiedE. colicomponents, the antibiotic thiostrepton efficiently inhibits RelA activation by the A-site tRNA. In bacterial cultures, the ribosomal inhibitors thiostrepton, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline all efficiently abolish accumulation of (p)ppGpp induced by the Ile-tRNA synthetase inhibitor mupirocin. This abolishment, however, does not reduce the persister level. In contrast, the combination of dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor trimethoprim with mupirocin, tetracycline, or chloramphenicol leads to ampicillin tolerance. The effect is independent of RelA functionality, specific to β-lactams, and not observed with the fluoroquinolone norfloxacin. These results refine our understanding of (p)ppGpp's role in antibiotic tolerance and persistence and demonstrate unexpected drug interactions that lead to tolerance to bactericidal antibiotics.

scholarly journals Selective Target Inactivation Rather than Global Metabolic Dormancy Causes Antibiotic Tolerance in Uropathogens

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 2089-2097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee W. Goneau ◽  
Nigel S. Yeoh ◽  
Kyle W. MacDonald ◽  
Peter A. Cadieux ◽  
Jeremy P. Burton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
Type I ◽  
Antibiotic Tolerance ◽  
Persister Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Multidrug Tolerance ◽  
External Stimuli ◽  
Susceptibility Patterns

ABSTRACTPersister cells represent a multidrug-tolerant (MDT), physiologically distinct subpopulation of bacteria. The ability of these organisms to survive lethal antibiotic doses raises concern over their potential role in chronic disease, such as recurrent urinary tract infection (RUTI). Persistence is believed to be conveyed through global metabolic dormancy, which yields organisms unresponsive to external stimuli. However, recent studies have contested this stance. Here, various antibiotics that target different cellular processes were used to dissect the activity of transcription, translation, and peptidoglycan turnover in persister cells. Differential susceptibility patterns were found in type I and type II persisters, and responses differed betweenStaphylococcus saprophyticusandEscherichia coliuropathogens. Further, SOS-deficient strains were sensitized to ciprofloxacin, suggesting DNA gyrase activity in persisters and indicating the importance of active DNA repair systems for ciprofloxacin tolerance. These results indicate that global dormancyper secannot sufficiently account for antibiotic tolerance. Rather, the activity of individual cellular processes dictates multidrug tolerance in an antibiotic-specific fashion. Furthermore, the susceptibility patterns of persisters depended on their mechanisms of onset, with subinhibitory antibiotic pretreatments selectively shutting down cognate targets and increasing the persister fraction against the same agent. Interestingly, antibiotics targeting transcription and translation enhanced persistence against multiple agents indirectly related to these processes. Conducting these assays with uropathogenicE. coliisolated from RUTI patients revealed an enriched persister fraction compared to organisms cleared with standard antibiotic therapy. This finding suggests that persister traits are either selected for during prolonged antibiotic treatment or initially contribute to therapy failure.

SlyD-dependent nickel delivery limits maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenases in late-stationary phase Escherichia coli cells

Metallomics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constanze Pinske ◽  
Frank Sargent ◽  
R. Gary Sawers
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Late Stationary Phase ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Escherichia Coli Cells

The metallochaperone SlyD is essential for nickel delivery to hydrogenase in stationary phaseE. colicells.

scholarly journals Studies on the Accumulation of Putrescine and Spermidine in Escherichia coli

1985 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
AJ Smigielski ◽  
ME Muir ◽  
BJ Wallace
Keyword(s):  
High Energy ◽  
Proton Motive Force ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Uptake System ◽  
Anaerobic Conditions ◽  
High Dilution ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Chemostat Cultures ◽  
Slow Growing ◽  
Rate Of Accumulation

The rate of accumulation of the polyamines spermidine and putrescine by E. coli depended on growth rate. Spermidine ac~umulation was faster in chemostat cultures with high dilution rates than in those with low dilution rates and was slower in bacteria that had been grown for several generations with either putrescine or spermidine, suggesting that the spermidine-uptake system was repressed by exogenous polyamines. The uptake of spermidine required metabolic energy. Thus accumulation occurred in an energy-starved unc strain only upon addition of glucose (or D-lactate to a smaller extent). With glucose present accumulation occurred in an unc, frd strain under anaerobic conditions, suggesting that ATP drives uptake. However, accumulation was generally sensitive to carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), indicating that the proton motive force was involved in uptake. Unlike spermidine, putrescine accumulation was faster in slow-growing than in fast-growing cultures. This may have been due to greater efflux of putrescine at faster growth rates. Accumulation of putrescine was faster following prolonged growth with either putrescine or spermidine, suggesting induction of the putrescine-uptake system by exogenous polyamines. Like spermidine accumulation, putrescine accumulation required metabolic energy. Accumulation was insensitive to CCCP and occurred only when glucose was added to energy-starved unc bacteria, suggesting that high-energy bonds may drive the uptake of putrescine.

scholarly journals Chronic Prosthetic Hip Infection Caused by a Small-Colony Variant of Escherichia coli

1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 2530-2534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Roggenkamp ◽  
Andreas Sing ◽  
Mathias Hornef ◽  
Ulrich Brunner ◽  
Ingo B. Autenrieth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Growth Stimulation ◽  
Small Colony Variant ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Hip Infection ◽  
Gentamicin Resistance ◽  
Small Colony ◽  
Slow Growing

From two different specimens of a chronic prosthetic hip infection taken at an interval of 2 months a slow-growing gram-negative bacterium was isolated in pure culture. The strain grew with the typical features of a small-colony variant (SCV). 16S rRNA sequencing identified the bacterium as Escherichia coli. Biochemical characterization demonstrated multiple phenotypic alterations of a mutant carrying a defect in the heme biosynthetic pathway (Hem−): (i) catalase and nitrate reductase reactions were both negative, (ii) a negative benzidine reaction demonstrated the lack of heme-containing cytochromes, and (iii) growth stimulation under anaerobic conditions as well as gentamicin resistance indicated defective aerobic respiration. PCR and Southern hybridization demonstrated that the mutation of the SCV of E. coli was localized in the hemB gene and was most likely due to a deletion of the hemB gene. On blood agar plates revertants were recognized growing as normal-sized colonies between the dominant small colonies of the strain. Feeding experiments indicated that the revertants but not the small colonies were permeable for hemin. A strong antibody response against the infecting SCV of E. coli was found. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Hem− E. coli strain as the etiological agent of a chronic bacterial infection.

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