Transcriptional analysis of quorum sensing deficient in Yersinia pestis CO92 at 37°C. Yersinia pestis

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 quorum sensing was investigated by comparing transcript profiles when three quorum-sensing synthase genes are knocked out. Two strains, ∆pgm (pigmentation-negative) mutant R88 as treatment and quorum sensing null strain R115 with mutations (∆pgm, ∆ypeIR, ∆yspIR, and ∆luxS) as control, are used in this analysis. Overall design: Six independent RNA samples from R115 cultures were paired with six independent RNA samples from R88 cultures for hybridization to six two-color microarrays. A dye-swap design was used to remove the Cy5 and Cy3 dye bias.