Transcriptional analysis of AHLs signal treatment at 30°C

Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague, is able to sense cell density by quorum sensing. The function of quorum sensing in Y. pestis is not clear. Here, the process of AHL quorum sensing was investigated by comparing transcript profiles when two AHL quorum-sensing signals are added in. The strain Δpgm (pigmentation-negative) mutant was called wild type. The two AHLs signals are N-(3-Oxooctanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone and N-Hexanoyl-DL-homoserine lactone.The control consisted of cells grown and treated under the same conditions without added signals. Six independent RNA samples from Y. pestis CO92 Δpgm cultures were paired with six independent RNA samples from two AHLs added cultures for hybridization to six two-color microarrays. A dye-swap design was used to remove the Cy5 and Cy3 dye bias.