Transcriptomic insights into slyA-mediated regulation of motility and secretion in Escherichia coli

Abstract

slyA, a member of the MarR family of transcriptional regulators, has been implicated in regulating virulence, stress response, and motility in various Enterobacteriaceae. In this study, we performed transcriptomic profiling of Escherichia coli BW25113 wild-type and its isogenic slyA knockout strain using publicly available RNA-Seq data, each consisting of four biological replicates. Differential gene expression analysis identified 925 significantly altered genes, including key components of the flagellar assembly pathway, such as fliA, flhB, and flgM. Gene Ontology and enrichment analyses revealed significant modulation of biological processes, including bacterial motility, chemotaxis, and protein secretion. Network analysis further highlighted a subset of hub genes involved in motility and secretion, suggesting their centrality in slyA-mediated regulation. While the results indicate slyA’s influence on multiple cellular pathways, these observations may reflect both direct and indirect regulatory effects. This transcriptomic analysis provides a computational foundation for future mechanistic studies and highlights pathways that may be targeted for antimicrobial development.