Evolutionary changes in heat-inducible gene expression in lines of Escherichia coli adapted to high temperature.

The involvement of heat-inducible genes, including the heat-shock genes, in the acute response to temperature stress is well established. However, their importance in genetic adaptation to long-term temperature stress is less clear. Here we use high-density arrays to examine changes in expression for 35 heat-inducible genes in three independent lines of Escherichia coli that evolved at high temperature (41.5 degrees C) for 2,000 generations. These lines exhibited significant changes in heat-inducible gene expression relative to their ancestor, including parallel changes in fkpA, gapA, and hslT. As a group, the heat-inducible genes were significantly more likely than noncandidate genes to have evolved changes in expression. Genes encoding molecular chaperones and ATP-dependent proteases, key components of the cytoplasmic stress response, exhibit relatively little expression change; whereas genes with periplasmic functions exhibit significant expression changes suggesting a key role for the extracytoplasmic stress response in the adaptation to high temperature. Following acclimation at 41.5 degrees C, two of the three lines exhibited significantly improved survival at 50 degrees C, indicating changes in inducible thermotolerance. Thus evolution at high temperature led to significant changes at the molecular level in heat-inducible gene expression and at the organismal level in inducible thermotolerance and fitness.