The RNA Chaperone Hfq Participates in Persistence to Multiple Antibiotics in the Fish Pathogen Yersinia ruckeri

Yersinia ruckeri causes outbreaks of enteric redmouth disease in salmon aquaculture all over the world. The transient antibiotic tolerance exhibited by bacterial persisters is commonly thought to be responsible for outbreaks; however, the molecular factors underlying this behavior have not been explored in Y. ruckeri. In this study, we investigated the participation of the RNA chaperone Hfq from Y. ruckeri in antibiotic persistence. Cultures of the hfq-knockout mutant (Delta hfq) exhibited faster replication, increased ATP levels and a more reductive environment than the wild type. The growth curves of bacteria exposed to sublethal concentrations of ampicillin, oxolinic acid, ciprofloxacin and polymyxin B revealed a greater susceptibility for the Delta hfq strain. The time-kill curves of bacteria treated with the antibiotics mentioned above and florfenicol, using inoculums from exponential, stationary and biofilm cultures, demonstrated that the Delta hfq strain has significant defects in persister cells production. To shed more light on the role of Hfq in antibiotic persistence, we analyzed its dependence on the (p)ppGpp synthetase RelA by determining the persister cells production in the absence of the relA gene. The Delta relA and Delta relA Delta hfq strains displayed similar defects in persister cells formation, but higher than Delta hfq strain. Similarly, stationary cultures of the Delta relA and Delta relA Delta hfq strains exhibited comparable levels of ATP but higher than that of the Delta hfq strain, indicating that relA is epistatic over hfq. Taken together, our findings provide valuable information on antibiotic persistence in Y. ruckeri, shedding light on the participation of Hfq in the persistence phenomenon.

Automated summary

The RNA chaperone Hfq plays an important role in antibiotic persistence in Yersinia ruckeri, as demonstrated by faster replication and decreased antibiotic tolerance in the hfq-knockout mutant. Hfq is also dependent on the (p)ppGpp synthetase RelA for persister cells production, with the Delta relA and Delta relA Delta hfq strains showing defects in persister cells formation compared to the wild type. The findings shed light on the participation of Hfq in antibiotic persistence in Y. ruckeri.