Sleeping ribosomes: Bacterial signaling triggers RaiA mediated persistence to aminoglycosides
Manon Lang, Evelyne Krin, Chloé Korlowski, Odile Sismeiro, Hugo Varet, Jean‐Yves Coppée, Didier Mazel, Zeynep Baharoglu
Abstract
abolishes the appearance of indole dependent persisters to aminoglycosides, although its overexpression leads to 100-fold increase of persisters, and a reduction in lag phase, evocative of increased active 70S ribosome content, confirmed by sucrose gradient analysis. We propose that, under stress conditions, RaiA-bound inactive 70S ribosomes are stored as "sleeping ribosomes", and are rapidly reactivated upon stress relief. Our results point to an active process of persister formation through ribosome protection during translational stress (e.g., aminoglycoside treatment) and reactivation upon antibiotic removal. Translation is a universal process, and these results could help elucidate a mechanism of persistence formation in a controlled, thus inducible way.