Schmitt et al.

BMC Microbiology (2023) 23:157 BMC Microbiology

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-023-02904-y

RESEARCH Open Access

Increased ompW and ompA expression

and higher virulence of Acinetobacter
baumannii persister cells
Brenda Landvoigt Schmitt1,2, Bruna Ferreira Leal1, Mariana Leyser1,2, Muriel Primon de Barros3, Danielle Silva Trentin3,
Carlos Alexandre Sanchez Ferreira1,2* and Sílvia Dias de Oliveira1,2*

Abstract
Background Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the main causes of healthcare-associated infections that threaten
public health, and carbapenems, such as meropenem, have been a therapeutic option for these infections.
Therapeutic failure is mainly due to the antimicrobial resistance of A. baumannii, as well as the presence of persister
cells. Persisters constitute a fraction of the bacterial population that present a transient phenotype capable of
tolerating supra-lethal concentrations of antibiotics. Some proteins have been suggested to be involved in the
onset and/or maintenance of this phenotype. Thus, we investigated the mRNA levels of the adeB (AdeABC efflux
pump component), ompA, and ompW (outer membrane proteins) in A. baumannii cells before and after exposure to
meropenem.
Results We found a significant increase (p-value < 0.05) in the expression of ompA (> 5.5-fold) and ompW (> 10.5-
fold) in persisters. However, adeB did not show significantly different expression levels when comparing treated and
untreated cells. Therefore, we suggest that these outer membrane proteins, especially OmpW, could be part of the
mechanism of A. baumannii persisters to deal with the presence of high doses of meropenem. We also observed in
the Galleria mellonella larvae model that persister cells are more virulent than regular ones, as evidenced by their LD50
values.
Conclusions Taken together, these data contribute to the understanding of the phenotypic features of A. baumannii
persisters and their relation to virulence, as well as highlight OmpW and OmpA as potential targets for drug
development against A. baumannii persisters.
Keywords Acinetobacter baumannii, Outer membrane protein, Persistence, Meropenem, Galleria mellonella, Virulence

2
*Correspondence: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Escola
Carlos Alexandre Sanchez Ferreira de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio
cferreira@pucrs.br; casanchezferreira@gmail.com Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
3
Sílvia Dias de Oliveira Laboratório de Bacteriologia e Modelos Experimentais Alternativos,
silviadiasoliveira@gmail.com; silviadias@pucrs.br Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal de
1
Laboratório de Imunologia e Microbiologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, UFCSPA, R. Sarmento Leite, 245, Porto
e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil
Porto Alegre, Brazil

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