Group B Streptococcus genes controlled by the CiaR response regulator

The purpose of this study was to identify Group B Streptococcus (GBS) genes that are controlled by the CiaR response regulator. Deletion of the GBS ciaR gene resulted in a significant decrease in intracellular survival within neutrophils, murine macrophages, and human BMEC, which was linked to increased susceptibility to killing by antimicrobial peptides, lysozyme, and reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, competition experiments in mice showed that wild-type GBS had a significant survival advantage compared to the isogenic ciaR mutant. Microarray analysis comparing gene expression between the wild-type and ciaR mutant strains revealed several CiaR-regulated genes that may contribute to GBS stress tolerance and subversion of host defenses. Two cultures each of the wild-type GBS strain (COH1) and the isogenic ciaR mutant were grown in Todd-Hewitt broth to an optical density of 0.3. Cells were disrupted by shaking with glass beads and RNA was isolated by a Trizol method. A custom Affymetrix chip with a design based on the COH1 genomic sequence was used to analyze gene expression.