The role of genes relating to general stress responses in bacterial persistence

We studied the role of genes rpoS, rmf, relA and spoТ relating to general stress responses in bacterial persistence on the model organism Escherichia coli. Using transcriptional reporter gene fusions and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR we obtained data on expression of these genes. These results are compared with data on persister cell frequency of knockout strains and their parent. On the strength of complex estimate we established that of rpoS, rmf, relA and spoТ genes are involved in the persister cell formation at early and later stationary phase.