The Highly Conserved Bacterial RNase YbeY Is Essential in Vibrio cholerae, Playing a Critical Role in Virulence, Stress Regulation, and RNA Processing
Figure 7
Reduced virulence in V. cholerae ΔybeY.
A) Depletion of YbeY leads to a deficiency of pigment formation. C6706 Wt pY and ΔybeY pY cells were grown in LB medium in the presence of arabinose or glucose as indicated. When cells reached mid to late-log phase, a similar number of cells was spun down and the cell pellets were photographed. B) Depletion of YbeY results in a drastic decrease of biofilm formation in C6706 ΔybeY pY cells. Cultures were grown statically in LB medium supplemented with arabinose or glucose as indicated. C) Depletion of YbeY leads to reduced levels of cholera toxin (CT). C6706 Wt pY and ΔybeY pY cells were grown in LB medium in the presence of arabinose or glucose. The amount of CT was estimated in the supernatants of cultures by western blot analysis using a CT-specific antibody. Equivalent amounts of protein were applied per lane. D) Depletion of YbeY leads to sensitivity towards bile salts. C6706 Wt and ΔybeY pY cells were grown in LB medium supplemented with 2.0% of bile salts and arabinose as specified. Samples were taken at the indicated times, and the number of colony forming units (CFU) was determined. E) Depletion of YbeY leads to reduced colonization of intestines in infant mice. Competitive indexes show the ability of C6706 ΔybeY pY cells to colonize the infant mouse intestine relative to C6706 Wt and equal 1 upon full complementation. C6706 ΔybeY pY cells were grown in the presence or absence of arabinose as indicated.