Escherichia coli K1 transcriptome under hespiridin-conjugated silver nanoparticles

Escherichia coli K1 causes neonatal meningitis. Transcriptome studies are indispensable to comprehend the pathology and biology of these bacteria. Recently, we showed that nanoparticles loaded with Hesperidin (HDN) are potential novel antibacterial agents against E. coli K1. Transcriptome analysis using RNA-seq and differential gene expression analysis, was performed using Degust software and a set of genes involved in cell stress response, metabolism, and motility were selected for the study. Our analysis revealed 529 genes (at least 0.5-fold change) in both E. coli K1 treated with HDNconjugated AgNPs and E. coli K1 treated with silver alone were differentially expressed, compared to untreated E. coli K1, out of more than 2000 genes. Significant regulation was observed for metabolic genes and several genes involved in the coordination of flagella. The results suggest that antibacterial mechanism of nanoparticles maybe due to disruption of the cell membrane, oxidative stress, and metabolism in E. coli K1. Further transcriptome studies will lead to understanding of genetic mechanisms of biology and pathogenesis and/or identification of much needed drug candidates.