Lactobacilli occupy specific ecological niches, where they represent a major component of foods, human and animal microbial communities. Employing these bacteria in industrial fermentations or for human health benefits exposes them to certain life-threatening conditions where their ability to adapt plays a key role in their survival and continued microbial activity. Since the postgenomic era began, proteomics has become the first choice among research approaches available for environmental adaptation and stress response investigators. The latest developments in the applications of proteomics to understand physiological changes in Lactobacillus species under harsh conditions are remarkable.
Keywords: lactobacilli; protein expression; proteomics; starvation; stress responses.
© 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.