Transcriptome profiling of Escherichia coli responding to tellurite

Abstract:

Tellurite as a strong antimicrobial agent is highly toxic to a variety of microorganisms, while its toxicity mechanism remains indistinct. [Objective] The main goal of this work is to uncover the global changes of cell metabolism under tellurite stress and reveal the toxicity mechanism of tellurite. [Methods] The transcriptomes of Escherichia coli MG1655 exposed to tellurite stress and under normal conditions were compared to reveal the differentially transcribed genes. [Results] After being treated with 10 µg/mL tellurite for 1 h, the cells exhibited an obvious adaptive response with many metabolic processes influenced. The transcription levels of the genes involved in ribosome metabolism and flagellar assembly changed significantly, implying the two pathways were affected by tellurite. The genes encoding the transcriptional factors and small RNAs and those functioning in the cell motility, metal ion metabolism, and membrane function also showed varied transcription levels, which might participate in the metabolism regulation and damage repair to resist the toxicity of tellurite. [Conclusion] This work can facilitate the study of the toxicity mechanism and promote the clinical application of tellurite.

Key words:tellurite;comparative transcriptome;differentially transcribed genes;ribosome metabolism;flagellar assembly