Comparative RNA-Seq analysis of S. epidermidis underSEP1 phage infection during exponential and stationary growth

Abstract

Bacteria in nature often exist in the stationary phase, where antimicrobials, including phages, are less effective. The SEP1 phage was shown to reduce stationary S. epidermidis cells. This study analysed the response of both exponential and stationary cells to SEP1 infection. For that, RNA was extracted at 0, 5, 15, and 30 min post-infection and analysed by RNA-seq. In exponential cells, only 3 genes were upregulated at 5 min. In stationary cells, 29 genes were upregulated at 5 min, increasing to 894 at 15 min. Many genes related to translation and RNA metabolic processes were highly expressed in stationary cells, showing that SEP1 hijacks host transcription.