Mycobacterium tuberculosis transcriptional responses to acidic pH and carbon source

The purpose of this study was to examine how Mtb integrates acidic pH and available carbon sources as environmental cues to regulate its metabolism and growth rate. RNA-seq transcriptional profiling of M. tuberculosis growing at acidic or neutral pH, in pyruvate or glycerol, was examined. These studies identified carbon source-dependent and -independent pH-dependent adaptations. Mtb strain CDC1551 was grown in standing T-75 flasks in 40 mL of medium seeded an initial OD of 0.1. We examined medium in four conditions pH 7.0 10 mM glycerol, pH 5.7 10 mM glycerol, pH 7.0 10 mM pyruvate, pH 5.7 10 mM pyruvate. Following 3 days of incubation at 37C, RNA was isolated from the bacterial cultures and used for RNA-seq.