Effect of Pre-Stressing on the Acid-Stress Response in Bifidobacterium Revealed Using Proteomic and Physiological Approaches

PLoS One. 2015 Feb 17;10(2):e0117702. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117702. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Weak acid resistance limits the application of Bifidobacteria as a probiotic in food. The acid tolerance response (ATR), caused by pre-stressing cells at a sublethal pH, could improve the acid resistance of Bifidobacteria to subsequent acid stress. In this study, we used Bifidobacterium longum sub. longum BBMN68 to investigate the effect of the ATR on the acid stress response (ASR), and compared the difference between the ATR and the ASR by analyzing the two-dimensional-PAGE protein profiles and performing physiological tests. The results revealed that a greater abundance of proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism and protein protection was present after the ASR than after the ATR in Bifidobacterium. Pre-stressing cells increased the abundance of proteins involved in energy production, amino acid metabolism, and peptidoglycan synthesis during the ASR of Bifidobacterium. Moreover, after the ASR, the content of ATP, NH3, thiols, and peptidoglycan, the activity of H+-ATPase, and the maintenance of the intracellular pH in the pre-stressed Bifidobacterium cells was significantly higher than in the uninduced cells. These results provide the first explanation as to why the resistance of Bifidobacterium to acid stress improved after pre-stressing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism
  • Amino Acids / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Bifidobacterium / cytology
  • Bifidobacterium / metabolism
  • Bifidobacterium / physiology*
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Intracellular Space / chemistry
  • Peptidoglycan / biosynthesis
  • Proteomics*
  • Proton-Translocating ATPases / metabolism
  • Stress, Physiological*
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds / metabolism

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Peptidoglycan
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Proton-Translocating ATPases

Grants and funding

This study was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2011AA100903,2012BAD12B08), (http://program.most.gov.cn/); Beijing Municipal Commission of Education Co-constructed Program; Great Northern Agriculture Group (13ZK006); The Importation and Development of High-Caliber Talents Project of Beijing Municipal Institutions (20140315). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.