title: Lack of intracellular trehalose affects formation of Escherichia coli persister cells.
abstract: Persisters are dormant antibiotic-tolerant cells that usually compose a small fraction of bacterial populations. In this work, we focused on the role of trehalose in persister formation. We found that the ΔotsA mutant, which is unable to synthesize trehalose, produced increased levels of persisters in the early stationary phase and under heat stress conditions. The lack of trehalose in the ΔotsA mutant resulted in oxidative stress, manifested by increased membrane lipid peroxidation after heat shock. Stationary ΔotsA cells additionally exhibited increased levels of oxidized proteins and apurinic/apyrimidinic sites in DNA as compared to WT cells. Oxidative stress caused by the lack of trehalose was accompanied by the overproduction of extracellular indole, a signal molecule that has been shown to stimulate persister formation. Our major conclusion is that intracellular trehalose protects E. coli cells against oxidative stress and limits indole synthesis, which in turn inhibits the formation of persisters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuczyńska-Wiśnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stojowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matuszewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leszczyńska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: María Moruno
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Algara
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Mateusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Augustynowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland ewa.laskowska@biol.ug.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laskowska
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D014199:Trehalose / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D014199:Trehalose; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C023180:trehalose-6-phosphate synthase