Genome-Wide Transcriptional Profiling of the Steady-State Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Hydrogen Peroxide

Abstract

The steady-state response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the oxidative-stress-generating agent hydrogen peroxide was analyzed by PAO1 transcriptome profiling. In total, 694, 411, and 237 genes were upregulated and 668, 576, and 468 genes were downregulated in P. aeruginosa strains TB, 892, and PAO1, respectively. The expression profiles of the two variants of the TB clone were significantly more related to each other than the expression profile of either strain was to that of PAO1. Exposure to H₂O₂ activated by more than 10-fold the expression of the cyoABCD operon, which is key for aerobic respiration, and of oxidative-stress response elements such as the catalase KatB, the alkyl hydroperoxide reductase AhpF, and the thioredoxin reductase 2 operon. Genes for iron and sulfur homeostasis were upregulated. Most enzymes necessary for the conversion of amino acids into the citric acid cycle were globally downregulated at the transcriptional level. Nitrate respiration and arginine fermentation were shut off in the clone TB strains and attenuated in the PAO strain. The transcriptional profiles indicate that the two clone TB strains are more proficient in coping with H₂O₂-mediated oxidative stress than the reference strain PAO. According to this data, we recommend study of the transcriptome of strain PAO1 in parallel with those of at least two strains of another clone in order to differentiate common responses from clone- and strain-specific responses and to minimize overinterpretations of microarray data.