title: Effect of bodily fluids from honey bee (Apis mellifera) larvae on growth and genome-wide transcriptional response of the causal agent of American Foulbrood disease (Paenibacillus larvae).
abstract: Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American Foulbrood disease (AFB), affects honey bee health worldwide. The present study investigates the effect of bodily fluids from honey bee larvae on growth velocity and transcription for this Gram-positive, endospore-forming bacterium. It was observed that larval fluids accelerate the growth and lead to higher bacterial densities during stationary phase. The genome-wide transcriptional response of in vitro cultures of P. larvae to larval fluids was studied by microarray technology. Early responses of P. larvae to larval fluids are characterized by a general down-regulation of oligopeptide and sugar transporter genes, as well as by amino acid and carbohydrate metabolic genes, among others. Late responses are dominated by general down-regulation of sporulation genes and up-regulation of phage-related genes. A theoretical mechanism of carbon catabolite repression is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Department of Physiology, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Smet
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Department of Physiology, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Koker
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Alyse K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hawley
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Leonard J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Vos
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Department of Physiology, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dirk C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: de Graaf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000378:metabolism*; D063990:Gene Ontology; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism; D056507:Paenibacillus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010641:Phenotype; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors