Gene expression profiling of a pressure-tolerant Listeria monocytogenes Scott A ctsR deletion mutant

Assessing the pressure resistance of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica to high pressure processing (HPP) in citric acid model solutions for process validation

Despite the commercial success of high pressure processing (HPP) in the juice industry, some regulatory agencies still require process validation. However, there is a lack of consensus on various aspects regarding validation protocols, including the selection of representative strains to be used in challenge tests. This study characterized the variable response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (34 strains), Listeria monocytogenes (44 strains) and Salmonella enterica (45 strains) to HPP, and identified potential candidates to use in process validation. Stationary phase cells were submitted to 500 MPa for 1 min at 10 °C in model solutions consisting of tryptic soy broth + 0.6% yeast extract (TSBYE) adjusted to pH 4.5 and 6.0 with citric acid. At pH 6.0, pressure resistance widely varied between species and within strains of the same species. E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes were the most pressure resistant and showed high variability at strain level, as the total count range given by minimum and maximum counts spread between 2.0 and 6.5 log₁₀ CFU/ml. S. enterica was the least resistant pathogen with more than 82% of the isolates displaying non-detectable counts after HPP. Recovery through storage at 12 °C was also variable for all pathogens, but eventually most strains recovered with median counts on day 14 between 8.3 and 8.9 log₁₀ CFU/ml. For pH 4.5 solutions, 26 E. coli O157:H7 strains displayed survivors after HPP but did not adapt, registering non-detectable counts in the next sampling dates. None of the L. monocytogenes and S. enterica strains survived HPP or incubation at pH 4.5 (<2.0 log₁₀ CFU/ml), suggesting that citric acid at 4.16 g/l is a safe barrier for pathogen control under moderate HPP conditions. Principal component and cluster analyses served to propose strain cocktails for each species based on their pressure resistant and adaptation phenotypes. Additionally, S. enterica was identified as less pressure resistant and less prone to recover following HPP than E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes, so its relevance in process validation for juices should be questioned. Future work will validate the proposed strain cocktails on real food systems.

High-pressure processing-induced transcriptome response during recovery of Listeria monocytogenes

Background

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a commonly used technique in the food industry to inactivate pathogens, including L. monocytogenes. It has been shown that L. monocytogenes is able to recover from HPP injuries and can start to grow again during long-term cold storage. To date, the gene expression profiling of L. monocytogenes during HPP damage recovery at cooling temperature has not been studied. In order identify key genes that play a role in recovery of the damage caused by HPP treatment, we performed RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) for two L. monocytogenes strains (barotolerant RO15 and barosensitive ScottA) at nine selected time points (up to 48 h) after treatment with two pressure levels (200 and 400 MPa).

Results

The results showed that a general stress response was activated by SigB after HPP treatment. In addition, the phosphotransferase system (PTS; mostly fructose-, mannose-, galactitol-, cellobiose-, and ascorbate-specific PTS systems), protein folding, and cobalamin biosynthesis were the most upregulated genes during HPP damage recovery. We observed that cell-division-related genes (divIC, dicIVA, ftsE, and ftsX) were downregulated. By contrast, peptidoglycan-synthesis genes (murG, murC, and pbp2A) were upregulated. This indicates that cell-wall repair occurs as a part of HPP damage recovery. We also observed that prophage genes, including anti-CRISPR genes, were induced by HPP. Interestingly, a large amount of RNA-seq data (up to 85%) was mapped to Rli47, which is a non-coding RNA that is upregulated after HPP. Thus, we predicted that Rli47 plays a role in HPP damage recovery in L. monocytogenes. Moreover, gene-deletion experiments showed that amongst peptidoglycan biosynthesis genes, pbp2A mutants are more sensitive to HPP.

Conclusions

We identified several genes and mechanisms that may play a role in recovery from HPP damage of L. monocytogenes. Our study contributes to new information on pathogen inactivation by HPP.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07407-6.

Prevalence and Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Beef and Sheep Carcasses in Turkey with Characterization of Locally Isolated Listeriophages as a Control Measure

Swab samples from cattle and sheep carcasses (120 of each) were tested for Listeria monocytogenes, and 120 slaughterhouse wastewater samples were tested for listeriophages over 12 months (10 samples per month) to note the seasonal distribution. L. monocytogenes and bacteriophage isolates were characterized, and the biocontrol of L. monocytogenes was investigated in meatballs with a phage cocktail. L. monocytogenes was found in 3.4 and 2.5% of cattle and sheep carcasses, respectively. All the isolates were found to harbor hlyA, actA, inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, plcA, plcB, fbpA, and fri genes with varied mRNA expression levels by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR analysis. Five isolates did not harbor the vip gene. According to enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR, L. monocytogenes isolates were classified into four different groups based on their DNA patterns. The L. monocytogenes isolates were characterized for antibiotic susceptibility; one strain was found to be resistant to five different antibiotic classes. Of 11 lytic listeriophages, two were selected for the cocktail based on their DNA restriction profiles, efficiency of plating, transmission electron microscopy, and in vitro and in vivo analyses. In the biocontrol study, we used a food model that consisted of a novel bacteriophage cocktail in raw meatballs. The highest reduction of L. monocytogenes was recorded as 2.2 log CFU/g at a multiplicity of cellular infection of 4.7 at the end of 1 h. In conclusion, the new bacteriophage cocktail in this study can be considered an efficient biocontrol agent of L. monocytogenes in meatballs.

LMOf2365_0442 Encoding for a Fructose Specific PTS Permease IIA May Be Required for Virulence in L. monocytogenes Strain F2365

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis, which is a major public health concern due to the high fatality rate. LMOf2365_0442, 0443, and 0444 encode for fructose-specific EIIABC components of phosphotransferase transport system (PTS) permease that is responsible for sugar transport. In previous studies, in-frame deletion mutants of a putative fructose-specific PTS permease (LMOf2365_0442, 0443, and 0444) were constructed and analyzed. However, the virulence potential of these deletion mutants has not been studied. In this study, two in vitro methods were used to analyze the virulence potential of these L. monocytogenes deletion mutants. First, invasion assays were used to measure the invasion efficiencies to host cells using the human HT-29 cell line. Second, plaque forming assays were used to measure cell-to-cell spread in host cells. Our results showed that the deletion mutant ΔLMOf2365_0442 had reduced invasion and cell-to-cell spread efficiencies in human cell line compared to the parental strain LMOf2365, indicating that LMOf2365_0442 encoding for a fructose specific PTS permease IIA may be required for virulence in L. monocytogenes strain F2365. In addition, the gene expression levels of 15 virulence and stress-related genes were analyzed in the stationary phase cells of the deletion mutants using RT-PCR assays. Virulence-related gene expression levels were elevated in the deletion mutants ΔLMOf2365_0442-0444 compared to the wild type parental strain LMOf2365, indicating the down-regulation of virulence genes by this PTS permease in L. monocytogenes. Finally, stress-related gene clpC expression levels were also increased in all of the deletion mutants, suggesting the involvement of this PTS permease in stress response. Furthermore, these deletion mutants displayed the same pressure tolerance and the same capacity for biofilm formation compared to the wild-type parental strain LMOf2365. In summary, our findings suggest that the LMOf2365_0442 gene can be used as a potential target to develop inhibitors for new therapeutic and pathogen control strategies for public health.

Assessment of the Antimicrobial Activity of Olive Leaf Extract Against Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens

Olive leaf extract (OLE) has been used traditionally as a herbal supplement since it contains polyphenolic compounds with beneficial properties ranging from increasing energy levels, lowering blood pressure, and supporting the cardiovascular and immune systems. In addition to the beneficial effects on human health, OLE also has antimicrobial properties. The aim of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of OLE against major foodborne pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella Enteritidis. Our results demonstrated that at a concentration of 62.5 mg/ml, OLE almost completely inhibited the growth of these three pathogens. In addition, OLE also reduced cell motility in L. monocytogenes, which correlated with the absence of flagella as shown by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, OLE inhibited biofilm formation in L. monocytogenes and S. Enteritidis. Taken together, OLE, as a natural product, has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial to control foodborne pathogens.

The Capacity of Listeria Monocytogenes Mutants with In-Frame Deletions in Putative ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters to form Biofilms and Comparison with the Wild Type

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a food-borne pathogen responsible for human listeriosis, an invasive infection with high mortality rates. Lm has developed efficient strategies for survival under stress conditions such as starvation and wide variations in temperature, pH, and osmolarity. Therefore, Lm can survive in food under multiple stress conditions. Detailed studies to determine the mode of action of this pathogen for survival under stress conditions are important to control Lm in food. It has been shown that genes encoding for ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are induced in Lm in food, in particular under stress conditions. Previous studies showed that these genes are involved in sensitivity to nisin, acids, and salt. The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of some ABC transporters in biofilm formation. Therefore, deletion mutants of ABC transporter genes (LMOf2365_1875 and LMOf2365_1877) were created in Lm F2365, and then were compared to the wild type for their capacity to form biofilms. Lm strain F2365 was chosen as reference since the genome is fully sequenced and furthermore this strain is particularly involved in food-borne outbreaks of listeriosis. Our results showed that ΔLMOf2365_1875 had an increased capacity to form biofilms compared to the wild type, indicating that LMOf2365_1875 negatively regulates biofilm formation. A deeper knowledge on the ability to form biofilms in these mutants may help in the development of intervention strategies to control Lm in food and in the environment.

Nonlabeled quantitative proteomic comparison identifies differences in acid resistance between Escherichia coli O157:H7 curli production variants

To understand the nature of a bacterial strain, it is necessary to be able to identify and measure the proteins expressed by the bacteria. In this research, the entire protein complements produced by Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain 43894OW and its naturally occurring curli producing variant 43894OR were compared to better understand the unique capabilities of these two closely related strains. A nonlabeled proteomic comparison was performed utilizing the spectra counting and peptide fractionation abilities of a quadrupole-time of flight analyzer mass spectrometer to identify and quantitate the proteins produced by the two strains. The process reliably identified and measured the concentration of 419 proteins from strains 43894OW and 43894OR within three separate biological replicates. From these two sets, 59 proteins were identified that were preferentially expressed in strain 43894OW compared to 43894OR and 14 proteins that were conversely preferentially expressed in 43894OR. A subset of the preferentially expressed proteins was assayed to determine whether their levels of gene transcription corresponded with the observed protein expression. From the resulting list of confirmed differentially expressed proteins, it was observed that the proteins contributing to acid survival--GadA and GadB--were overexpressed in 43894OW compared to 43894OR. The predicted enhanced acid resistance phenotype of 43894OW was confirmed by experimentation at pH 2.5. Additionally, a knockout mutation in the csgD genes of the 43894OR strain was constructed and suggested that CsgD had a repressive effect on acid survival in 43894OR.

Construction of Listeria monocytogenes mutants with in-frame deletions in the phosphotransferase transport system (PTS) and analysis of their growth under stress conditions

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that is difficult to eliminate due to its ability to survive under different stress conditions such as low pH and high salt. To better control this pathogen in food, it is important to understand its survival mechanisms under these stress conditions. LMOf2365_0442, 0443, and 0444 encode for phosphotransferase transport system (PTS) permease (fructose-specific IIABC components) that is responsible for sugar transport. LMOf2365_0445 encodes for glycosyl hydrolase. These genes were induced by high pressure and inhibited under salt treatments; therefore, we hypothesized that genes encoding these PTS proteins may be involved in general stress responses. To study the function of these genes, deletion mutants of the PTS genes (LMOf2365_0442, LMOf2365_0443, and LMOf2365_0444) and the downstream gene LMOf2365_0445 were created in L. monocytogenes strain F2365. These deletion mutants were tested under different stress conditions. The growth of ∆LMOf2365_0445 was increased under nisin (125 μg/mL) treatments compared to the wild-type (P < 0.01). The growth of ∆LMOf2365_0442 in salt (brain-heart infusion medium with 5% NaCl) was significantly increased (P < 0.01), and ∆LMOf2365_0442 showed increased growth under acidic conditions (pH 5.0) compared to the wild-type (P < 0.01). The results from phenotypic arrays demonstrated that some of these mutants showed slightly slower growth under different carbon sources and basic conditions. The results indicate that deletion mutants ∆LMOf2365_0442 and ∆LMOf2365_0445 were more resistant to multiple stress conditions compared to the wild-type, suggesting that they may contribute to the general stress response in L. monocytogenes. An understanding of the growth of these mutants under multiple stress conditions may assist in the development of intervention strategies to control L. monocytogenes in food.

Gene expression profiling of a nisin-sensitive Listeria monocytogenes Scott A ctsR deletion mutant

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen of significant threat to public health. Nisin is the only bacteriocin that can be used as a food preservative. Due to its antimicrobial activity, it can be used to control L. monocytogenes in food; however, the antimicrobial mechanism of nisin activity against L. monocytogenes is not fully understood. The CtsR (class III stress gene repressor) protein negatively regulates the expression of class III heat shock genes. A spontaneous pressure-tolerant ctsR deletion mutant that showed increased sensitivity to nisin has been identified. Microarray technology was used to monitor the gene expression profiles of the ctsR mutant under treatments with nisin. Compared to the nisin-treated wild type, 113 genes were up-regulated (>2-fold increase) in the ctsR deletion mutant whereas four genes were down-regulated (<-2-fold decrease). The up-regulated genes included genes that encode for ribosomal proteins, membrane proteins, cold-shock domain proteins, translation initiation and elongation factors, cell division, an ATP-dependent ClpC protease, a putative accessory gene regulator protein D, transport and binding proteins, a beta-glucoside-specific phosphotransferase system IIABC component, as well as hypothetical proteins. The down-regulated genes consisted of genes that encode for virulence, a transcriptional regulator, a stress protein, and a hypothetical protein. The gene expression changes determined by microarray assays were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR analyses. Moreover, an in-frame deletion mutant for one of the induced genes (LMOf2365_1877) was constructed in the wild-type L. monocytogenes F2365 background. ΔLMOf2365_1877 had increased nisin sensitivity compared to the wild-type strain. This study enhances our understanding of how nisin interacts with the ctsR gene product in L. monocytogenes and may contribute to the understanding of the antibacterial mechanisms of nisin.