Identification of aerobically and anaerobically induced genes in Enterococcus faecalis by random arbitrarily primed PCR

Enterococci have emerged among the leading causes of nosocomial infection. With the goal of analyzing enterococcal genes differentially expressed in e nvironments related to commensal or environmental colonization and infectio n sites, we adapted and optimized a method more commonly used in the study of eukaryotic gene expression, random arbitrarily primed PCR (RAP-PCR). The RAP-PCR method was systematically optimized, allowing the technique to be used in a highly reproducible manner with gram-positive bacterial RNA. In t he present study, aerobiosis was chosen as a variable for the induction of changes In gene expression by Enterococcus faecalis, Aerobically and anaero bically induced genes were detected and identified to the sequence level, a nd differential gene expression was confirmed by quantitative, specifically primed RT-PCR, Differentially expressed genes included several sharing ide ntity with those of other organisms related to oxygen metabolism, as well a s hypothetical genes lacking identity to known genes.