Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious human disease, is estimated to cause 2,500 cases and 500 deaths annually in the US. Our understanding of the complex mechanisms required for bacterial survival and multiplication throughout foodborne transmission, including in stressful environments prior to infection (e.g., in foods), as well as those encountered in the host (e.g., in the gastrointestinal tract), is limited. Therefore, the long-term objective of this project is to use L. monocytogenes as a model system for exploring mechanisms that contribute to foodborne pathogen transmission and infection, with the goal of reducing the overall public health burden of foodborne diseases. Preliminary data suggest that multiple regulatory elements function in concert to control gene transcription under rapidly changing conditions such as those encountered during foodborne transmission. Thus, the work proposed in this application will test the following hypotheses: (i) networks among key L. monocytogenes regulatory proteins (e.g., PrfA and different alternative C factors, including CB) are necessary for appropriate expression of genes critical for pathogen transmission and virulence in extra- and intra-host environments;and (ii) multiple regulatory networks and stress response systems contribute to gastrointestinal survival and pathogenesis. These hypotheses will be tested through the following five specific aims: (1) Define regulons controlled by the L. monocytogenes alternative sigma factors using full genome microarrays. (2) Identify L. monocytogenes proteins that co-regulate genes contributing to transmission and virulence using selected mutant bacterial strains, microarrays, qRT-PCR and bioinformatics strategies. (3) Characterize global L. monocytogenes gene expression patterns under different environmental stress conditions and in selected intracellular and intra-host environments using microarrays and qRT-PCR. (4) Develop a WWW-based database of L. monocytogenes microarray data and transcriptional profiles. (5) Characterize stress response and virulence phenotypes of L. monocytogenes with mutations in selected genes encoding regulatory proteins and in selected genes regulated or co-regulated by alternative C factors and other transcriptional regulators. Overall, the proposed studies will provide an improved understanding of the mechanisms used by foodborne pathogens to regulate gene expression under rapidly changing environmental stress conditions encountered during transmission and infection. We anticipate that this knowledge will identify mechanisms that can be targeted for development of novel and innovative bacterial control strategies including new antibacterial therapeutics.

Public Health Relevance

The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes causes about 2500 human listeriosis cases and 500 deaths annually in the US, representing about 10% of all US deaths from foodborne illnesses. This project will provide an understanding of the mechanisms used by Listeria monocytogenes (as well as by other bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses) to regulate gene expression under rapidly changing environmental stress conditions encountered during foodborne disease transmission and infection. This knowledge will contribute to identification of specific bacterial mechanisms that can be targeted for development of novel and innovative bacterial control strategies, including new antibacterial therapeutics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI052151-09
Application #
8212598
Study Section
Bacterial Pathogenesis Study Section (BACP)
Program Officer
Mills, Melody
Project Start
2002-08-01
Project End
2014-01-31
Budget Start
2012-02-01
Budget End
2014-01-31
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$339,605
Indirect Cost
$119,082
Name
Cornell University
Department
Nutrition
Type
Schools of Earth Sciences/Natur
DUNS #
872612445
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850
Liu, Yichang; Orsi, Renato H; Boor, Kathryn J et al. (2017) Home Alone: Elimination of All but One Alternative Sigma Factor in Listeria monocytogenes Allows Prediction of New Roles for ?B. Front Microbiol 8:1910
Guldimann, Claudia; Boor, Kathryn J; Wiedmann, Martin et al. (2016) Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty: Sigma Factor B Fine-Tunes Gene Expression To Support Homeostasis in Gram-Positive Bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 82:4456-4469
Liu, Yichang; Orsi, Renato Hohl; Boor, Kathryn Jean et al. (2016) An advanced bioinformatics approach for analyzing RNA-seq data reveals sigma H-dependent regulation of competence genes in Listeria monocytogenes. BMC Genomics 17:115
Orsi, Renato H; Bergholz, Teresa M; Wiedmann, Martin et al. (2015) The Listeria monocytogenes strain 10403S BioCyc database. Database (Oxford) 2015:
Bergholz, Teresa M; Moreno Switt, Andrea I; Wiedmann, Martin (2014) Omics approaches in food safety: fulfilling the promise? Trends Microbiol 22:275-81
Oliver, H F; Orsi, R H; Wiedmann, M et al. (2013) ?(B) plays a limited role in the ability of Listeria monocytogenes strain F2365 to survive oxidative and acid stress and in its virulence characteristics. J Food Prot 76:2079-86
Mujahid, Sana; Orsi, Renato H; Boor, Kathryn J et al. (2013) Protein level identification of the Listeria monocytogenes sigma H, sigma L, and sigma C regulons. BMC Microbiol 13:156
Mujahid, S; Orsi, R H; Vangay, P et al. (2013) Refinement of the Listeria monocytogenes ?B regulon through quantitative proteomic analysis. Microbiology 159:1109-19
Ringus, Daina L; Gaballa, Ahmed; Helmann, John D et al. (2013) Fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide, a novel inhibitor of ýýB activity, prevents the activation of ýýB by environmental and energy stresses in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 195:2509-17
Mujahid, Sana; Bergholz, Teresa M; Oliver, Haley F et al. (2012) Exploration of the role of the non-coding RNA SbrE in L. monocytogenes stress response. Int J Mol Sci 14:378-93

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