AUTHOR=Yang Yunqiao , Chen Yunru , Zhang Geyin , Sun Junying , Guo Lei , Jiang Mingsheng , Ou Bingming , Zhang Weiyu , Si Hongbin 

TITLE=Transcriptomic Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Under the Stress Condition Caused by Litsea cubeba L. Essential Oil via RNA Sequencing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01693

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.01693

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Litsea cubeba</italic> L. essential oil (LCEO) is a natural essential oil with considerable antimicrobial activity, and it can gradually replace some chemical additives in the food industry. However, the genetic evidences of stress response of bacteria under sub-lethal treatment with LCEO is limited. To this end, transcriptomic analysis of <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> 29213 under a low concentration of LCEO was performed. Bacterial RNA samples were extracted from 1/4 MIC (0.07 μL/mL) of LCEO-treated and non-treated <italic>S. aureus</italic> 29213. The transcriptional results were obtained by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). After treated with LCEO of <italic>S. aureus</italic> 29213, 300, and 242 genes were significantly up and down-regulated. Up-regulated genes were mainly related to cell membrane (wall) stress stimulon including genes related to two-component regulatory system (<italic>VraS</italic>), histidine metabolism (<italic>hisABCD</italic> etc.) and L-lysine biosynthesis (<italic>thrA, lysC, asd</italic> etc.). Significant differences were also founded between LCEO-treated and non-treated groups in peptidoglycan biosynthesis related pathways. Down-regulated genes were related to nitrogen metabolism (<italic>NarGHIJ</italic> etc.), carotenoid biosynthesis (all) and pyruvate metabolism (<italic>phdA, pflB, pdhC</italic> etc.) of <italic>S. aureus</italic> 29213 in an LCEO-existing environment compared to the control. At the same time, we confirmed that LCEO can significantly affect the staphyloxanthin level of <italic>S. aureus</italic> 29213 for the first time, which is closely related to the redox state of <italic>S. aureus</italic> 29213. These evidences expanded the knowledge of stress response of <italic>S. aureus</italic> 29213 strain under sub-lethal concentration of LCEO.</p>