ABSTRACTSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is one of the leading causative agents of food-borne bacterial gastroenteritis. Swift invasion through the intestinal tract and successful establishment in systemic organs are associated with the adaptability ofS. Typhimurium to different stress environments. Low-pH stress serves as one of the first lines of defense in mammalian hosts, whichS. Typhimurium must efficiently overcome to establish an infection. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptability ofS. Typhimurium to acid stress is highly relevant. In this study, we have performed a transcriptome analysis ofS. Typhimurium under the acid tolerance response (ATR) and found a large number of genes (∼47%) to be differentially expressed (more than 1.5-fold or less than −1.5-fold;P< 0.01). Functional annotation revealed differentially expressed genes to be associated with regulation, metabolism, transport and binding, pathogenesis, and motility. Additionally, our knockout analysis of a subset of differentially regulated genes facilitated the identification of proteins that contribute toS. Typhimurium ATR and virulence. Mutants lacking genes encoding the K+binding and transport protein KdpA, hypothetical protein YciG, the flagellar hook cap protein FlgD, and the nitrate reductase subunit NarZ were significantly deficient in their ATRs and displayed variedin vitrovirulence characteristics. This study offers greater insight into the transcriptome changes ofS. Typhimurium under the ATR and provides a framework for further research on the subject.
The Small RNA DsrA Influences the Acid Tolerance Response and Virulence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium
