Author(s)

Suresh G. Joshi^1,2*, Adam Yost², Siddharth S. Joshi², Sankar Addya³, Garth Ehrlich¹, Ari Brooks^1,4

¹Center for Surgical Infection and Biofilm, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA.
²School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA.
³Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA.
⁴Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, USA.

We developed a technique of generating nonthermal atmospheric plasma-activated solution that had broad-spectrum antibacterial properties. Plasma-activated phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) causes rapid inactivation of bacteria following generation of oxidative stress. However, dose optimization requires understanding of cellular mechanisms. The objective of this study was to explore genome-wise response to develop gene expression profile of Escherichia coli using DNA microarray following exposure to plasma-activated PBS solution. Upon exposure to plasma-treated PBS solution, E. coli cells had differentially expressed genes involved in oxidative stress, and cell envelope and membrane associated porin and transporters. The genes involved in house-keeping and metabolism, energy generation, motility and virulence were conversely downregulated. This is the first report which demonstrates a severe oxidative stress induced in E. coli cells in response to an exposure to nonequilibrium nonthermal dielectric-barrier discharge plasma-activated PBS solution, and the genes that are responsive to reactive oxygen species appeared to play a role in cellular stress. Such studies are important to identify targets of inactivation, and to understand plasma-treated solution and bacterial cell interactions.

Antibacterial Solution, Disinfection, Escherichia coli, Gene Expression, Indirect Plasma, Microarray, Nonthermal Plasma, Transcriptomics

Joshi, S. , Yost, A. , Joshi, S. , Addya, S. , Ehrlich, G. and Brooks, A. (2015) Microarray Analysis of Transcriptomic Response of Escherichia coli to Nonthermal Plasma-Treated PBS Solution. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 6, 49-62. doi: 10.4236/abb.2015.62006.