Transcriptome Analysis of T3SS1 in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Comparative transcriptional mRNA profiles were generated of bacterial pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus under conditions that induce activity of virulence factor type III secretion system 1 (T3SS1). Induction conditions included growth of the bacteria in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), overexpression of transcriptional activator exsA and contact with HeLa cells in Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), while non-inducing conditions included growth in Luria-Bertani medium supplemented with 2.5% (w/v) NaCl (LB-S) and overexpression of transcriptional anti-activator exsD. Transcriptome profiles of induction conditions were cross-compared against background non-inducing conditions and time points during HeLa cell infection (2 hr, 3 hr, 4 hr, 6 hr, 8 hr) were compared against pre-infection (0 hr) to identify genes important in T3SS1 activity and pathogenesis. Duplicate mRNA transcriptome profiles of V. parahaemolyticus grown in T3SS1 inducing (DMEM, exsA expression) and non-inducing (LB-S, exsD expression) conditions as well as during HeLa cell infection (0 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 4 hr, 6 hr, 8 hr) were generated by deep sequencing using an Illumina MiSeq