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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
Effect of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine on gene expression in Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Fabiano L Thompson1, Antonio Alves Neto, Eidy de O Santos
1Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. fabiano.thompson@biologia.ufrj.br
Abstract:
We analyzed the effect of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) on gene expression in the marine bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The total number of genes whose expression was induced and repressed genes in the presence of GlcNAc was 81 and 55, respectively. The induced genes encoded a variety of products, including proteins related to energy metabolism (e.g. GlcNAc and chitin utilization), transport, central metabolism and chemotaxis, hypothetical proteins, mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin pilus (MSHA), and a PilA protein, whereas the repressed genes encoded mainly hypothetical proteins. GlcNAc appears to influence directly or indirectly a variety of cellular processes, including energy metabolism, chitin utilization, competence, biofilm formation and pathogenicity. GlcNAc, one of the most abundant aminosugars in the oceans, is used by V. parahaemolyticus as an energy source and affects the cellular functioning of this marine bacterium.
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