title: Insights into the mode of action of benzyl isothiocyanate on Campylobacter jejuni.
abstract: Campylobacter jejuni is a widespread pathogen responsible for most of the food-borne gastrointestinal diseases in Europe. The use of natural antimicrobial molecules is a promising alternative to antibiotic treatments for pathogen control in the food industry. Isothiocyanates are natural antimicrobial compounds, which also display anticancer activity. Several studies described the chemoprotective effect of isothiocyanates on eukaryotic cells, but the antimicrobial mechanism is still poorly understood. We investigated the early cellular response of C. jejuni to benzyl isothiocyanate by both transcriptomic and physiological approaches. The transcriptomic response of C. jejuni to benzyl isothiocyanate showed upregulation of heat shock response genes and an impact on energy metabolism. Oxygen consumption was progressively impaired by benzyl isothiocyanate treatment, as revealed by high-resolution respirometry, while the ATP content increased soon after benzyl isothiocyanate exposition, which suggests a shift in the energy metabolism balance. Finally, benzyl isothiocyanate induced intracellular protein aggregation. These results indicate that benzyl isothiocyanate affects C. jejuni by targeting proteins, resulting in the disruption of major metabolic processes and eventually leading to cell death.
authors.affiliation: EA1254 Microbiologie et Risques Infectieux, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dufour
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stintzi
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baysse
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005516:Food Microbiology; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000187:drug effects*; D017879:Isothiocyanates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D059467:Transcriptome; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D017879:Isothiocyanates; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; C031403:benzyl isothiocyanate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D010100:Oxygen