Abstract
Previous screening of a single-gene knockout library consisting of 3,908 disrupted-mutant strains allowed us to identify 51 thermotolerant genes that are essential for survival at a critical high temperature (CHT) in Escherichia coli [Murata M, Fujimoto H, Nishimura K, Charoensuk K, Nagamitsu H, Raina S, Kosaka T, Oshima T, Ogasawara N, Yamada M (2011) PLoS ONE 6: e20063]. In this study, we identified another 21 thermotolerant genes. E. coli thus has 72 thermotolerant genes in total. The genes are classified into 8 groups: genes for energy metabolism, outer membrane organization, DNA double-strand break repair, tRNA modification, protein quality control, translation control, cell division and transporters. This classification and physiological analysis indicate the existence of fundamental strategies for survival at a CHT, which seems to exclude most of the heat shock responses.
Highlights
Like general essential genes that are imperative for growth, there are genes, called thermotolerant genes, that are indispensable for survival at a critical high temperature (CHT), a level close to that causing cell death [1, 2]
To understand the molecular mechanisms supporting survival at a CHT in Escherichia coli, genome-wide screening with a single-gene knockout library has been performed, and 51 thermotolerant genes essential for growth at 47 ̊C have been identified [1]
More than half of the mutants of thermotolerant genes are sensitive to H2O2, suggesting that the mechanism of thermotolerance partially overlaps with that of oxidative stress resistance
Summary
Like general essential genes that are imperative for growth, there are genes, called thermotolerant genes, that are indispensable for survival at a critical high temperature (CHT), a level close to that causing cell death [1, 2]. To understand the molecular mechanisms supporting survival at a CHT in Escherichia coli, genome-wide screening with a single-gene knockout library has been performed, and 51 thermotolerant genes essential for growth at 47 ̊C have been identified [1]. Genes for which expression is affected by exposure to a CHT have been identified [1]. The former contents are not consistent with the latter except for dnaJ and dnaK, indicating that a specific set of non-heat shock genes is required for the organism to survive under such a severe condition. We update thermotolerant genes in E. coli and discuss the possible thermotolerant mechanisms for survival at a CHT.
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