Identification of cold-inducible inner membrane proteins of the psychrotrophic bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10, by proteomic analysis

Extremophiles. 2012 Mar;16(2):227-36. doi: 10.1007/s00792-011-0422-z. Epub 2012 Jan 3.

Abstract

Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10 is a psychrotrophic Gram-negative bacterium that grows at temperatures close to 0°C. Previous proteomic studies of this bacterium identified cold-inducible soluble proteins and outer membrane proteins that could possibly be involved in its cold adaptation (Kawamoto et al. in Extremophiles 11:819-826, 2007). In this study, we established a method for separating the inner and outer membranes by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and performed proteomic studies of the inner membrane fraction. The cells were grown at temperatures of 4 and 18°C, and phospholipid-enriched inner membrane fractions were obtained. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and peptide mass fingerprinting analysis of the proteins identified 14 cold-inducible proteins (more than a 2-fold increase at 4°C). Six of these proteins were predicted to be inner membrane proteins. Two predicted periplasmic proteins, 5 predicted cytoplasmic proteins, and 1 predicted outer membrane protein were also found in the inner membrane fraction, suggesting their association with the inner membrane proteins and/or lipids. These cold-inducible proteins included proteins that are presumed to be involved in chemotaxis (AtoS and PspA), membrane protein biogenesis (DegP, SurA, and FtsY), and morphogenesis (MreB). These findings provide a basis for further studies on the cold-adaptation mechanism of this bacterium.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Centrifugation, Density Gradient / methods
  • Cold Temperature
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional / methods
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / metabolism
  • Lipids / chemistry
  • Proteomics / methods*
  • Shewanella / metabolism*
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Lipids