ANALYSIS OF GENETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXPRESSION PROFILES OF VIBRIO PARAHAEMOLYTICUS IN RESPONSE TO A SUDDEN TEMPERATURE DOWNSHIFT

Objective: A whole-genome DNA microarray was constructed to dissect expression profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in response to a sudden temperature downshift from 37℃ to 10℃. Methods:The mRNA level of each gene at each of three time points(20, 40 and 60 min after temperature downshift)was compared with that just before cold treatment. Clustering analysis of time-course data revealed nine gene clusters with different time-dependent expression patterns. Results:Downregulation of metabolism-related genes was obviously dominant over upregulation at all time points. The distinct negative regulation of metabolism-related genes would account for a generally reduced cellular protein pool resulting from the sudden temperature downshift. In contrast, cold shock had a 'neutral and balanced' regulatory action on nonmetabolic cellular pathways, which likely brought about the remodelling of cell envelope structures and transport/binding functions. Conclusions: The comparative transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the V. parahaemolyticus has the ability to alter gene transcription extensively in response to low temperature, and help us to construct the transcriptional regulatory network for further study.