Artem S Grigorov, Yulia V Skvortsova, Oksana S Bychenko, Leonid V Aseev, Ludmila S Koledinskaya, Irina V Boni, Tatyana L Azhikina
Bacterial adaptation to cold stress requires wide transcriptional reprogramming. However, the knowledge of molecular mechanisms underlying the cold stress response of mycobacteria is limited. We conducted comparative transcriptomic analysis of subjected to cold shock. The growth of cultivated at 37 °C was arrested just after exposure to cold (acclimation phase) but later (by 24 h) was resumed at a much slower rate (adaptation phase). Transcriptomic analyses revealed distinct gene expression patterns corresponding to the two phases. During the acclimation phase, differential expression was observed for genes associated with cell wall remodeling, starvation response, and osmotic pressure stress, in parallel with global changes in the expression of transcription factors and the downregulation of ribosomal genes, suggesting an energy-saving strategy to support survival. At the adaptation phase, the expression profiles were recovered, indicating restoration of the processes repressed earlier. Comparison of transcriptional responses in with those in other bacteria revealed unique adaptation strategies developed by mycobacteria. Our findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying survival under cold stress. Further research should clarify whether the discovered transcriptional mechanisms exist in other mycobacterial species, including pathogenic , which could be important for transmission control.
