Epigenetic cellular memory in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> generates phenotypic variation in response to host environments
Abstract
Phenotypic diversification within pathogen populations can enhance survival in stressful environments, broaden niche colonization, and expand the ecological range of infectious diseases due to emerging collective pathogenicity characteristics. We describe a gene regulatory network property in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa that generates diversity of gene expression and pathogenicity behavior at the single-cell level and that is stabilized by epigenetic cellular memory. The resulting heterogeneity in the expression of the glpD gene—an indicator of host-derived glycerol metabolism and intra-host presence—shapes adaptive processes that are subject to natural selection. Our work on how epigenetics generates phenotypic variation in response to the environment and how these changes are inherited to the next generation provides insights into phenotypic diversity and the emergence of unique functionalities at higher levels of organization. These could be crucial for controlling infectious disease outcomes.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (15)
Elisabeth Vatareck
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Tim Rick
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet
Nicolas Oswaldo Gomez
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Arnab Bandyopadhyay
Department of Systems Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Janina Kramer
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Dmytro Strunin
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet
Jelena Erdmann
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Oliver Hartmann
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Kathrin Alpers
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Christian Boedeker
Leibniz Institute—Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen
Anika Steffen
Department of Cell Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Christian Sieben
Department of Nanoscale Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Gang Zhao
Department of Systems Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Jürgen Tomasch
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Susanne Häussler
Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research