---
title: "Temperature-driven reprogramming of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and biofilm stress tolerance"
id: "biorxiv-3-temperature-dependent-reprogramming-of-virulence-traits-during-pseudomonas"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-3-temperature-dependent-reprogramming-of-virulence-traits-during-pseudomonas"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Infectious Disease"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.16.751985v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-09-20T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Temperature-driven reprogramming of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and biofilm stress tolerance
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-3-temperature-dependent-reprogramming-of-virulence-traits-during-pseudomonas
- **Specialty:** [Infectious Disease](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/infectious-disease.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.16.751985v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-20T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa adapts to diverse environments by altering virulence-associated traits in response to environmental cues, with **temperature** being a key signal during transition into the host. - The study compared **planktonic** and **biofilm** populations at environmental temperatures (23°C and 30°C) and host temperatures (37°C and 40°C). - Researchers used transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses to characterize temperature-dependent regulation across growth states. - Expression of the **type VI secretion system (T6SS)** was higher at environmental temperatures (23°C and 30°C). - Biosynthesis of **pyoverdine** and expression of the **type III secretion system (T3SS)** were upregulated at host-relevant temperatures (37°C and 40°C). - Prior observations that biofilms formed at environmental versus host temperatures differ in architecture, biomass, and **exopolysaccharide (EPS)** composition were reiterated and used to explore functional consequences. - Biofilms grown at environmental temperatures (23°C and 30°C) showed substantially greater tolerance to **antibiotic** stress than biofilms grown at host temperatures (37°C and 40°C). - The findings indicate that growth temperature programs biofilm properties that in turn influence stress-tolerance profiles, identifying temperature as a major cue reprogramming P. aeruginosa physiology to support persistence across distinct ecological niches. - The analyses covered both secreted factors and siderophores in addition to secretion systems and EPS; details beyond those reported in the source (e.g., quantitative fold-changes, specific antibiotics tested) were not provided in the article summary.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Temperature-dependent reprogramming of virulence traits during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Temperature-dependent reprogramming of virulence traits during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation View ORCID Profile Karishma Bisht , View ORCID Profile Alex R Luecke , View ORCID Profile Catherine Ann Wakeman doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.16.751985 Karishma Bisht 1 Princeton University; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Karishma Bisht For correspondence: karishma.bisht{at}princeton.edu Alex R Luecke 2 Texas Tech University Department of Biological Sciences; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Alex R Luecke Catherine Ann Wakeman 3 Texas Tech University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Catherine Ann Wakeman Abstract Info/History Metrics Preview PDF Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that occupies diverse ecological niches, including soil, water, and the human host. Environmental cues encountered across these habitats trigger adaptive responses that promote survival and persistence through regulation of virulence-associated traits, including secreted factors, siderophores, and biofilm exopolysaccharides (EPS). One major change experienced during the transition from environmental reservoirs to the host is an increase in temperature. Although temperature is a key signal encountered during host transition, its global impact on P. aeruginosa physiology remains poorly understood. We therefore investigated the effects of temperature on planktonic and biofilm-populations, comparing both growth states at 23°C and 30°C, representing environmental temperatures, and at 37°C and 40°C, representing normal and febrile host temperatures. Transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses revealed extensive temperature-dependent regulation of virulence determinants in both growth states. Expression of the type VI secretion system was elevated at environmental temperatures, whereas pyoverdine biosynthesis and the type III secretion system were upregulated at host temperatures. Building on our previous finding that biofilms formed at environmental and host temperatures differ in architecture, biomass, and EPS composition, we next examined how these structural differences influence stress tolerance. Biofilms grown at 23°C and 30°C exhibited substantially greater tolerance to antibiotic stress than biofilms grown at 37°C and 40°C. Growth temperature therefore establishes biofilm properties that subsequently influence the stress-tolerance profile of the population. Collectively, our findings identify temperature as a major environmental cue that reprograms P. aeruginosa physiology in ways likely to support persistence across distinct ecological niches. Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted September 20, 2026. Download PDF Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Temperature-dependent reprogramming of virulence traits during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Temperature-dependent reprogramming of virulence traits during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation Karishma Bisht , Alex R Luecke , Catherine Ann Wakeman bioRxiv 2026.09.16.751985; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.16.751985 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Temperature-dependent reprogramming of virulence traits during Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation Karishma Bisht , Alex R Luecke , Catherine Ann Wakeman bioRxiv 2026.09.16.751985; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.16.751985 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (8013) Biochemistry (18739) Bioengineering (14888) Bioinformatics (44418) Biophysics (22599) Cancer Biology (19723) Cell Biology (26899) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13965) Ecology (21005) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25455) Genetics (16166) Genomics (23507) Immunology (18705) Microbiology (42503) Molecular Biology (18059) Neuroscience (93451) Paleontology (700) Pathology (2977) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5095) Physiology (8114) Plant Biology (15999) Scientific Communication and Education (2095) Synthetic Biology (4560) Systems Biology (10235) Zoology (2391)
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