LAUSR

The Burkholderia cepacia complex is a group of Burkholderia species which are opportunistic pathogens causing high mortality rates in patients with cystic fibrosis. An environmental stress often encountered by these soil-dwelling and pathogenic bacteria is phosphorus limitation, an essential element for cellular processes. Here, we describe cellular and extracellular proteins differentially regulated between phosphate-deplete (0 mM, no added phosphate) and phosphate-replete (1 mM) growth conditions using a comparative proteomics (LC-MS/MS) approach. We observed a total of 128 and 65 unique proteins were down-regulated and up-regulated, respectively, in the B. cenocepacia proteome. Of those down-regulated proteins, many have functions in amino acid transport/metabolism. We have identified 24 up-regulated proteins which are directly/indirectly involved in inorganic phosphate or organic phosphorus acquisition. Also, proteins involved in virulence and antimicrobial resistance were differentially regulated, suggesting B. cenocepacia experiences a dramatic shift in metabolism under these stress conditions. Overall, this study provides a baseline for further research into the biology of Burkholderia in response to phosphorus stress. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.