Effects of tobacco smoke on the expression of virulence genes in .

It is widely acknowledged that smoking exacerbates the severity of infectious diseases. A presumed mechanism involves the damage inflicted by tobacco smoke on the organs of host organisms. In this study, an alternative hypothesis was explored: smoking enhances the virulence of bacteria. This possibility was investigated using as the model bacteria and as the host organism. Our inquiry focused on the potential gene expression changes in subsequent to exposure to tobacco smoke extracts. Analysis of the transcription promoter activity of genes encoding proteins within the two-component system, a regulatory machinery governing gene expression, revealed the suppression of thirteen out of 23 promoters in response to tobacco smoke extracts. Subsequently, was infected with exposed to tobacco smoke extracts or left untreated. Interestingly, there were no significant differences observed in the survival periods of following infection with , whether treated or untreated with tobacco smoke extracts. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, the findings suggest that while tobacco smoke extracts alter gene expression in , these changes do not appear to impact bacterial virulence. Although this study has illuminated the influence of tobacco smoke extracts on the gene expression of , further analyses are necessary to elucidate the implications of these changes. Nevertheless, the results imply that smoking affects not only host organisms but may also exert influence on invading bacteria.