The Formation of Persister Cells in Stationary-Phase Cultures of Escherichia Coli Is Associated with the Aggregation of Endogenous Proteins

Persister cells (persisters) are transiently tolerant to antibiotics and usually constitute a small part of bacterial populations. Persisters remain dormant but are able to re-grow after antibiotic treatment. In this study we found that the frequency of persisters correlated to the level of protein aggregates accumulated in E. coli stationary-phase cultures. When 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid or an osmolyte (trehalose, betaine, glycerol or glucose) were added to the growth medium at low concentrations, proteins were prevented from aggregation and persister formation was inhibited. On the other hand, acetate or high concentrations of osmolytes enhanced protein aggregation and the generation of persisters. We demonstrated that in the E. coli stationary-phase cultures supplemented with MOPS or a selected osmolyte, the level of protein aggregates and persister frequency were not correlated with such physiological parameters as the extent of protein oxidation, culturability, ATP level or membrane integrity. The results described here may help to understand the mechanisms underlying persister formation.