Transcriptome of Mycobacterium abscessus in response to transition metals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major challenges that humans are facing this century. Understanding the mechanisms behind the rise of AMR is crucial to tackle this global threat. Among the triggers of phenotypic antimicrobial resistance, the contribution of transition metals has been understudied in Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs), a fast-growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium known for its extreme AMR levels. Deeper understanding of the effects of transition metal ions will be beneficial for our knowledge in AMR and the discovery of potential therapeutic targets. Here, we investigated the impact of transition metal ions, nickel, cobalt and copper on the physiology and drug susceptibility of Mabs. M. abscessus ATCC19977 strain was grown to mid-exponential phase (OD600=0.8) and treated with one of the transition metal ions at pre-defined stress concentrations (Cu2+: 0.156 mM; Co2+: 0.625 mM; Ni2+: 2.5 mM) for two hours, together with an untreated group. Three biological replicates in each group were prepared for RNA extraction.