Listeria monocytogenes MerR-Like Regulator NmlRlm: Its Transcriptome and Role in Stress Response

Abstract NmlR, a negative transcription regulator in the MerR family, is involved in oxidative and nitrosative stress response in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Haemophilus influenzae. In this study, the objective was to characterize the role and the regulon of NmlR in the foodborne Listeria monocytogenes. An L. monocytogenes nmlR null mutant strain was constructed. Transcriptomes of strain 10403S wild type (WT) and ΔnmlRlm strains grown to the stationary phase were determined by mRNA sequencing. Differential expression analyses revealed 74 genes with altered expression levels (>9-fold difference), comprising 46 negatively and 28 positively regulated genes. Twenty-four NmlRlm-dependent genes overlap with the members of previously identified regulons of HrcA, a negative regulator of heat response in L. monocytogenes, and of alternative sigma factor σH. Phenotypic characterization revealed that the ΔnmlRlm strain survived significantly less than the WT under acid stress (pH 2.5 for 1 h) and oxidative stress (3% ...