Improved acid tolerance of a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli expressing genes from the acidophilic bacterium Oenococcus oeni.
OBJECTIVE
Oenococcus oeni is a lactic acid bacterium used in wine fermentation. Two open reading frames (orfB and orfC) were identified in the upstream region of the hsp18 gene, encoding the small heat-shock protein Lo18. Expression of these genes in conditions of acid stress was studied in Escherichia coli.


RESULTS
Sequence analysis showed that orfB encodes a putative transcriptional regulator of the LysR family. The protein encoded by orfC shares homologies with multi-drug resistance systems. Heterologous expression of orfB, orfC and hsp18 genes in Escherichia coli significantly enhanced the viability of the host strain under acidic conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
It was demonstrated that the three genes were needed for acquisition of this acid tolerance phenotype.


CONCLUSIONS
Heterologous expression of Oenococcus genes could be used to confer acidophilic behaviour on strains of biotechnological interest.
Morel
F
F
Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France.
Delmas
F
F
Jobin
M P
MP
Diviès
C
C
Guzzo
J
J
D000143:Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000235:genetics*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007934:Leuconostoc / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D015183:Restriction Mapping
D000143:Acids; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; C081475:hsp18 protein, bacteria