Transcriptomic analysis of VBNC Escherichia coli O157:H7 induced by HPCD by high-throughput Illumina sequencing technology. Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli O157:H7 can cause haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. This pathogen has been implicated in large food-borne outbreaks all over the world. By investigating the implicated salted salmon roe, Makino et al. (2000) suggested that E. coli O157:H7 in the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state should be the culprit of the outbreak in Japan. High pressure CO2 (HPCD), one of the non-thermal pasteurization techniques, is an effective means to inactivate microorganisms. But in the previous study, we have demonstrated for the first time that HPCD could induce E. coli O157:H7 into the VBNC state, which poses a potential health risk to HPCD-treated products. In order to explore the potential formation mechanisms of VBNC E. coli O157:H7 induced by HPCD, the high-throughput Illumina RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis was conducted for E. coli O157:H7 cells treated at 5 MPa and 25 ℃ for 40 min (VBNC cells) and exponential-phase cells (the control). Finally, 97 genes that differentially transcribed between VBNC state and the control were obtained, with 22 genes up-regulated and 75 genes down-regulated in VBNC cells. These differentially expressed genes were classified in a variety of functional categories, including central metabolic processes, gene replication and expression, cell division, general stress response, respiration, membrane biosynthesis and transport and pathogenicity. Based on these differentially expressed genes, we suggest putative formation mechanisms of VBNC cells induced by HPCD. The finding will provide theoretical foundation for restraining the VBNC state formation under HPCD processing. Overall design: Whole mRNA profiles of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the VBNC state and the exponential phase were generated using Illumina sequencing technology and differentially expressed genes were anylyzed.