Use of a Multiplex Transcript Method for Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gene Expression Profiles in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung
The discovery of therapies that modulatePseudomonas aeruginosavirulence or that can eradicate chronicP. aeruginosalung infections associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) will be advanced by an improved understanding ofP. aeruginosabehaviorin vivo. We demonstrate the use of multiplexed Nanostring technology to monitor relative abundances ofP. aeruginosatranscripts across clinical isolates, in serial samples, and for the purposes of comparing microbial physiologyin vitroandin vivo. The expression of 75 transcripts encoded by genes implicated in CF lung disease was measured in a variety ofP. aeruginosastrains as well as RNA serial sputum samples from fourP. aeruginosa-colonized subjects with CF collected over 6 months. We present data on reproducibility, the results from different methods of normalization, and demonstrate high concordance between transcript relative abundance data obtained by Nanostring or transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis. Furthermore, we address considerations regarding sequence variation between strains during probe design. Analysis ofP. aeruginosagrownin vitroidentified transcripts that correlated with the different phenotypes commonly observed in CF clinical isolates.P. aeruginosatranscript profiles in RNA from CF sputum indicated alginate productionin vivo, and transcripts involved in quorum-sensing regulation were less abundant in sputum than strains grown in the laboratory.P. aeruginosagene expression patterns from sputum clustered closely together relative to patterns for laboratory-grown cultures; in contrast, laboratory-grownP. aeruginosashowed much greater transcriptional variation with only loose clustering of strains with different phenotypes. The clustering within and between subjects was surprising in light of differences in inhaled antibiotic and respiratory symptoms, suggesting that the pathways represented by these 75 transcripts are stable in chronic CFP. aeruginosalung infections.