Phenotypic changes and gene expression profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in response to low concentrations of ampicillin

Abstract

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a leading cause of seafood-associated gastroenteritis and possesses intrinsic resistance to ampicillin. While ampicillin can trigger transcriptional responses of global genes, the behavioral and molecular changes that occur in V. parahaemolyticus when exposed to ampicillin are not fully understood. In this work, we investigated the effects of low concentrations of ampicillin on the physiology and gene expression of V. parahaemolyticus by combining phenotypic assays and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Our results showed that the growth of V. parahaemolyticus were notably delayed, and both motility and c-di-GMP production were significantly inhibited in the response to low concentrations of ampicillin stress. In contrast, biofilm formation by V. parahaemolyticus was enhanced by exposure to low concentrations of ampicillin. However, low concentrations of ampicillin had no effect on the cytotoxicity or adherence activity of V. parahaemolyticus. The RNA-seq data revealed that a low concentration of ampicillin significantly affected the expression levels of 676 genes, including those involved in antibiotic resistance, virulence, biofilm formation, and regulation. This work contributes to our understanding of how V. parahaemolyticus alters its behavior and gene expression in response to ampicillin exposure.