Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is one of the most serious foodborne pathogens. Listeriosis, the disease caused by LM infection, has drawn attention worldwide because of its high hospitalization and mortality rates. Linalool is a vital constituent found in many essential oils; our previous studies have proved that linalool exhibits strong anti-Listeria activity. In this study, iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics analysis was performed to explore the response of LM exposed to linalool, and to unravel the mode of action and drug targets of linalool against LM. A total of 445 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened out, including 211 up-regulated and 234 down-regulated proteins which participated in different biological functions and pathways. Thirty-one significantly enriched gene ontology (GO) functional categories were obtained, including 12 categories in "Biological Process", 10 categories in "Cell Component", and 9 categories in "Molecular Function". Sixty significantly enriched biological pathways were classified, including 6 pathways in "Cell Process", 6 pathways in "Environmental Information Processing", 3 pathways in "Human Disease", 40 pathways in "Metabolism", and 2 pathways in "Organic System". GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes (KEGG) enrichment analysis together with flow cytometry data implied that cell membranes, cell walls, nucleoids, and ribosomes might be the targets of linalool against LM. Our study provides good evidence for the proteomic analysis of bacteria, especially LM, exposed to antibacterial agents. Further, those drug targets discovered by proteomic analysis can provide theoretical support for the development of new drugs against LM.
Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes; antimicrobial; linalool; proteomics.