title: Environmental adaptability and stress tolerance of Laribacter hongkongensis: a genome-wide analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laribacter hongkongensis is associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis and traveler's diarrhea and it can reside in human, fish, frogs and water. In this study, we performed an in-depth annotation of the genes in its genome related to adaptation to the various environmental niches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  L. hongkongensis possessed genes for DNA repair and recombination, basal transcription, alternative σ-factors and 109 putative transcription factors, allowing DNA repair and global changes in gene expression in response to different environmental stresses. For acid stress, it possessed a urease gene cassette and two arc gene clusters. For alkaline stress, it possessed six CDSs for transporters of the monovalent cation/proton antiporter-2 and NhaC Na+:H+ antiporter families. For heavy metals acquisition and tolerance, it possessed CDSs for iron and nickel transport and efflux pumps for other metals. For temperature stress, it possessed genes related to chaperones and chaperonins, heat shock proteins and cold shock proteins. For osmotic stress, 25 CDSs were observed, mostly related to regulators for potassium ion, proline and glutamate transport. For oxidative and UV light stress, genes for oxidant-resistant dehydratase, superoxide scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, exclusion and export of redox-cycling antibiotics, redox balancing, DNA repair, reduction of disulfide bonds, limitation of iron availability and reduction of iron-sulfur clusters are present. For starvation, it possessed phosphorus and, despite being asaccharolytic, carbon starvation-related CDSs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The L. hongkongensis genome possessed a high variety of genes for adaptation to acid, alkaline, temperature, osmotic, oxidative, UV light and starvation stresses and acquisition of and tolerance to heavy metals.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.|Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre of Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Susanna Kp
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Rachel Yy
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Tom Cc
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Gilman Km
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Alan Kl
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jade Ll
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Wenyang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Rory M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Watt
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shirly Ot
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Curreem
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.|Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre of Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.|Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre of Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kwok-Yung
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hong Kong.|Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Carol Yu Centre of Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.|Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Patrick Cy
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Woo