Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil
Abstract Bacteria that typically do not thrive in soil can survive therein for long periods. While much research has been conducted on the external environmental factors affecting the long-term survival of bacteria in soil, their inherent factors are poorly understood. To adapt to environmental chan...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85609-8 |
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| author | Soma Nakamoto Ikki Kobayashi Koichi Watanabe Takeru Kikuta Sousuke Imamura Tomohiro Shimada |
| author_facet | Soma Nakamoto Ikki Kobayashi Koichi Watanabe Takeru Kikuta Sousuke Imamura Tomohiro Shimada |
| author_sort | Soma Nakamoto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Bacteria that typically do not thrive in soil can survive therein for long periods. While much research has been conducted on the external environmental factors affecting the long-term survival of bacteria in soil, their inherent factors are poorly understood. To adapt to environmental changes, bacteria alter their gene expression patterns using transcriptional regulators such as sigma factors. Using Escherichia coli as a model bacterium, we examined the effects of each transcriptional regulator on the long-term survivability of E. coli in soil. The survivability of 294 E. coli strains deficient in transcriptional regulators in soil was measured over 6 weeks. The results showed that ten strains deficient in transcription factors significantly reduced survivability, whereas four deficient strains increased it. The functions common to several of these transcriptional regulators included carbon and nitrogen metabolism, stationary phase adaptation, and osmotic stress adaptation. These transcription factors are often global regulators and conserved among other pathogenic bacterial species. Taken together, we successfully identified a comprehensive set of transcription factors involved in the long-term survival of E. coli in soil. These findings will be useful for understanding the mechanisms underlying the adaptation of microorganisms to soil environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ea2799cbfda4ebe8963680d00cba5de |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ea2799cbfda4ebe8963680d00cba5de2025-02-09T12:31:16ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-85609-8Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soilSoma Nakamoto0Ikki Kobayashi1Koichi Watanabe2Takeru Kikuta3Sousuke Imamura4Tomohiro Shimada5School of Agriculture, Meiji UniversitySchool of Agriculture, Meiji UniversitySchool of Agriculture, Meiji UniversitySchool of Agriculture, Meiji UniversitySpace Environment and Energy Laboratories, NTT CorporationSchool of Agriculture, Meiji UniversityAbstract Bacteria that typically do not thrive in soil can survive therein for long periods. While much research has been conducted on the external environmental factors affecting the long-term survival of bacteria in soil, their inherent factors are poorly understood. To adapt to environmental changes, bacteria alter their gene expression patterns using transcriptional regulators such as sigma factors. Using Escherichia coli as a model bacterium, we examined the effects of each transcriptional regulator on the long-term survivability of E. coli in soil. The survivability of 294 E. coli strains deficient in transcriptional regulators in soil was measured over 6 weeks. The results showed that ten strains deficient in transcription factors significantly reduced survivability, whereas four deficient strains increased it. The functions common to several of these transcriptional regulators included carbon and nitrogen metabolism, stationary phase adaptation, and osmotic stress adaptation. These transcription factors are often global regulators and conserved among other pathogenic bacterial species. Taken together, we successfully identified a comprehensive set of transcription factors involved in the long-term survival of E. coli in soil. These findings will be useful for understanding the mechanisms underlying the adaptation of microorganisms to soil environments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85609-8Long-term survivability in soilTranscription factorSigma factorGene regulationEscherichia coli |
| spellingShingle | Soma Nakamoto Ikki Kobayashi Koichi Watanabe Takeru Kikuta Sousuke Imamura Tomohiro Shimada Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil Scientific Reports Long-term survivability in soil Transcription factor Sigma factor Gene regulation Escherichia coli |
| title | Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil |
| title_full | Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil |
| title_fullStr | Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil |
| title_short | Identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long-term survivability of Escherichia coli in soil |
| title_sort | identification of a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulators involved in the long term survivability of escherichia coli in soil |
| topic | Long-term survivability in soil Transcription factor Sigma factor Gene regulation Escherichia coli |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85609-8 |
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