渗透压冲击下中度嗜盐菌Halomonas sp. Y四氢嘧啶类相容性溶质的合成与释放

【背景】四氢嘧啶类物质在高温、冷冻和干燥等逆境条件下,对酶、蛋白质、核酸及整个细胞具有良好的保护作用,已经应用于酶制剂、生物医药及护肤品等相关领域。目前此类物质只能依赖中度嗜盐菌采用细菌泌乳工艺进行商业化生产,因此四氢嘧啶类高产菌株及其发酵技术的研究日益受到国内外研究者关注。【目的】分离获得高产合成四氢嘧啶类相容性溶质的中度嗜盐细菌,研究渗透压冲击对其胞内四氢嘧啶合成与释放的影响,探索细菌泌乳法制备四氢嘧啶的可行性。【方法】采用涂布平板法分离中度嗜盐菌,对分离菌株进行形态、生理生化和16S rRNA基因序列分析,鉴定其种属;采用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)和质谱法(MS)分析四氢嘧啶类物质,细菌泌乳法制备四氢嘧啶类物质。【结果】从盐池土样中分离到一株以四氢嘧啶类物质为主要相容性溶质的中度嗜盐菌Y,鉴定为盐单胞菌(Halomonas sp.)Y。盐单胞菌Y能在NaCl质量浓度为10-250 g/L的培养基中生长,最适生长的NaCl浓度为100 g/L;HPLC-MS测试结果证明盐单胞菌Y可同时合成四氢嘧啶和羟基四氢嘧啶2种相容性溶质,在最适生长的盐浓度下其合成量分别达175.5 mg/g和47.9 mg/g;在NaCl质量浓度为0-30 g/L的低渗溶液中胞内四氢嘧啶类物质经5 min即可达到最大释放率,而细菌泌乳工艺中最适合诱导四氢嘧啶释放的低渗溶液为质量浓度为10 g/L的NaCl溶液;采用细菌泌乳工艺制备四氢嘧啶,经连续11轮的高渗/低渗冲击,四氢嘧啶总合成量为6.0 g/L,总释放量为5.7 g/L,平均释放率为64.5%,底物转化率为128.9 mg/g。【结论】盐单胞菌Y是一株较高产合成四氢嘧啶类的中度嗜盐菌,能够耐受反复的渗透压冲击,采用细菌泌乳工艺显著提高了四氢嘧啶的制备效率。     

Calorimetrically obtained information about the efficiency of ectoine synthesis from glucose in Halomonas elongata.

Compatible solutes are becoming more and more attractive commercially. Thus, knowledge of the efficiency of synthesis of compatible solutes from different carbon substrates is very important. As the growth rate and rates of formation of compatible solutes correspond to the heat flux, calorimetric measurements are particularly suitable for providing this information. By growing microorganisms continuously in a calorimeter, and generating a feeding stream with gradually increasing salinity without changing any other growth conditions, we were able to determine the efficiency of growth-associated synthesis of compatible solutes. This was shown for Halomonas elongata DMSZ 2581(T) growing on glucose, which synthesizes (at 25 degrees C) 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid (ectoine) as its main osmotic counterweight. The requirement of biologically usable energy for its growth-associated synthesis was found to be very low: a 100% efficiency of the conversion of the substrate-carbon into ectoine is both theoretically possible and was reached approximately in practice. The growth rate and yield coefficient were essentially independent of the ectoine formation rate, and the rate of substrate-carbon assimilation was far greater than the rate of dissimilation. The specific maximum growth rate was limited by the rate of formation of ectoine.     

Biosynthesis of ectoine by the methanotrophic bacterial consortium isolated from Bogdanka coalmine (Poland)

Ectoine belongs to the family of compatible solutes, which are known to contribute mainly to the adaptation of the cell to osmotic stress by mediation of a constant turgor. In addition, the cell’s essential functions are maintained under difficult conditions like high salinity, heat, or aridity stress. Biosynthesis of ectoine has been found in halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms. We showed that the methanotrophic bacterial consortium (MBC) isolated from coalbed rocks from coalmine Bogdanka (Poland) and resistant to extreme environmental conditions (low content of moisture) was able to synthesize ectoine. MBC was cultured in mineral nitrate mineral salts medium supplied with NaCl at atmospheric air enriched with 10% of methane. The levels of methanotrophic activity were determined by the gas chromatography technique (943.05 ± 30.73 ? 94.14 ± 0.85 μM CH₄ gDW^?1 day^?1) and the biomass concentration of MBC was evaluated based on OD₆₀₀, as well as biosynthesis of ectoine in relation to the salinity (0–5% NaCl) of the medium. The levels of ectoine tested by NIR measurements ranged from 1.33 ± 0.10 mg gDW^?1 to 0.42 ± 0.08 mg gDW^?1 depending on the salinity of the solution. In addition, we identified MBC based on the pmoA gene.     

Process optimization of the integrated synthesis and secretion of ectoine and hydroxyectoine under hyper/hypo‐osmotic stress

The synthesis and secretion of the industrial relevant compatible solutes ectoine and hydroxyectoine using the halophile bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens were studied and optimized. For this purpose, a cascade of two continuously operated bioreactors was used. In the first bioreactor, cells were grown under constant hyperosmotic conditions and thermal stress driving the cells to accumulate large amounts of ectoines. To enhance the overall productivity, high cell densities up to 61 g L^?1 were achieved using a cross‐flow ultrafiltration connected to the first bioreactor. In the coupled second bioreactor the concentrated cell broth was subjected to an osmotic and thermal down‐shock by addition of fresh distilled water. Under these conditions, the cells are forced to secrete the accumulated intracellular ectoines into the medium to avoid bursting. The cultivation conditions in the first bioreactor were optimized with respect to growth temperature and medium salinity to reach the highest synthesis (productivity); the second bioreactor was optimized using a multi‐objective approach to attain maximal ectoine secretion with simultaneous minimization of cell death and product dilution caused by the osmotic and thermal down‐shock. Depending on the cultivation conditions, intracellular ectoine and hydroxyectoine contents up to 540 and 400 mg per g cell dry weight, respectively, were attained. With a maximum specific growth rate of 0.3 h^?1 in defined medium, productivities of approximately 2.1 g L^?1 h^?1 secreted ectoines in continuous operation were reached. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 124–133. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Novel insights into the role of potassium for osmoregulation in Halomonas elongata

The role of K(+) in osmoregulation of the halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata was investigated. At lower salinities (0.51 M NaCl), K(+) was the predominant cytoplasmic solute (1.25 micro mol mg protein(-1)). At higher salinities (1.03 M NaCl) ectoine became the main cytoplasmic solute (1.57 micro mol mg protein(-1)), while the K(+) content remained unchanged. In response to osmotic upshock, cells of H. elongata simultaneously accumulated ectoine and K(+) glutamate. The ectoine and K(+) glutamate levels in osmotically stressed cells exceeded the level of cells adapted to high salinities. The increase in K(+) glutamate was long lasting (>120 min) and not transient, as described for non-halophiles. Regulation of the synthesis of ectoine and glutamate was proven to occur mainly at the level of enzyme activity. Limitation of K(+) inhibited the growth of salt-adapted H. elongata cells, especially at high salinities, and caused a decrease of the intracellular organic solute content, inhibition of respiration, and an abolition of the cell's ability to respond to osmotic stress. The saturation constant K(S) for K(+) was estimated to be 105 micro M at a salinity of 0.51 M NaCl, indicating that an uptake system of medium affinity is responsible for K(+) accumulation in H. elongata.     

New type of osmoregulated solute transporter identified in halophilic members of the bacteria domain: TRAP transporter TeaABC mediates uptake of ectoine and hydroxyectoine in Halomonas elongata DSM 2581(T)

The halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata synthesizes as its main compatible solute the aspartate derivative ectoine. We constructed a deletion mutant of H. elongata, KB1, defective in ectoine synthesis and tolerating elevated salt concentrations only in the presence of external compatible solutes. The dependency of KB1 on solute uptake for growth in high-salt medium was exploited to select insertion mutants unable to accumulate external solutes via osmoregulated transporters. One insertion mutant out of 7,200 failed to accumulate the osmoprotectants ectoine and hydroxyectoine. Genetic analysis of the insertion site proved that the mutation affected an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,281 bp (teaC). The nucleotide sequence upstream of teaC was determined, and two further ORFs of 603 bp (teaB) and 1,023 bp (teaA) were identified. Deletion of teaA and teaB proved that all three genes are mandatory for ectoine uptake. Sequence comparison showed significant identity of TeaA, TeaB, and TeaC to the transport proteins of the recently identified tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic transporter family (TRAP-T). The affinity of the cells for ectoines was determined (K(s) = 21.7 microM), suggesting that the transporter TeaABC exhibits high affinity for ectoines. An elevation of the external osmolarity resulted in a strong increase in ectoine uptake via TeaABC, demonstrating that this transporter is osmoregulated. Deletion of teaC and teaBC in the wild-type strain led to mutants which excreted significant amounts of ectoine into the medium when cultivated at high salt concentrations. Therefore, the physiological role of TeaABC may be primarily to recover ectoine leaking through the cytoplasmic membrane.     

Efficient cyclic system to yield ectoine using Brevibacterium sp. JCM 6894 subjected to osmotic downshock

Brevibacterium sp. JCM 6894 cells grown in the presence of 1.5-2.5 M NaCl for 24 h at 30 degrees C were subjected to the osmotic downshock. Downshocked cells after ectoine release were grown for further 24 h in the fresh medium with same salinity as before shock. When this cyclic system was applied to the strain JCM 6894, the amount of ectoine in the cells increased with an increase of incubation time, which indicates that the cells manipulated by the present conditions were enough active to survive and synthesize ectoine after several times of osmotic downshock. In the presence of 2 M NaCl, the highest yield of ectoine released was achieved in this cyclic system, more than 2.4 g/L during 7 days of incubation. (1)H and (13)C-NMR analyses of solutes released from the cells by the osmotic downshock showed the presence of only ectoine with high purity. Release of ectoine from the cells was carried out within 5 min and its rates were increased by the dilution in the downshock treatment. For the convenience of operations, non-sterilized medium containing 2 M NaCl was examined for the cell growth in the present system, in which almost same level of ectoine yield, release rates, and cell viability were observed as those of sterilized medium.     

Interrelation between synthesis and uptake of ectoine for the growth of the halotolerant Brevibacterium species JCM 6894 at high osmolarity

The growth of a halotolerant Brevibacterium sp. JCM 6894 was examined in the presence of compatible solutes such as glycine betaine, ectoine (2-methyl-4-carboxy-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine) and ectoine derivatives. The effect of competition between their uptake and synthesis in the cells was subjected to osmotic shift towards the higher salinity. Among each solute examined the supplement of ectoine or hydroxyectoine exhibited a remarkable stimulation on the growth of strain JCM 6894, regardless of the range of osmotic shifts, where the largest was 0-->2 M NaCl, the intermediate was 1-->2 M NaCl, and no shift was 2-->2 M NaCl. The growth rates of this strain were dependent on the amount of ectoine taken up, which was conspicuous for the largest osmotic shift and during the first few hours of incubation after transfer. The cells subjected to 1-->2 M NaCl and 2-->2 M NaCl transfers took up less ectoine and this resulted in lower growth rates than those of cells with the largest osmotic shift (0-->2 M NaCl). The role of other compatible solutes which accumulated is discussed in relation to growth stimulation of strain JCM 6894.     

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for efficient osmotic stress-free production of compatible solute hydroxyectoine

Compatible solutes are key for the ability of halophilic bacteria to resist high osmotic stress. They have received wide attention from researchers for their excellent osmotic protection properties. Hydroxyectoine is a particularly important compatible solute, but its production by microbes faces several challenges, including low titer/yield, the presence of the byproduct ectoine, and the requirement of high salinity. Here, we aimed to metabolically engineer Escherichia coli to efficiently produce hydroxyectoine in the absence of osmotic stress without accumulating the byproduct ectoine. First, combinatorial optimization of the expression strength of key genes in the ectoine synthesis module and hydroxyectoine synthesis module was conducted. After optimization of the expression of these genes, 12.12 g/L hydroxyectoine and 0.24 g/L ectoine were obtained at 36 h in shake-flask fermentation with the addition of the co-substrate α-ketoglutarate. Further optimization of the addition of α-ketoglutarate achieved the sole production of hydroxyectoine (i.e., no ectoine accumulation), indicating that the supply of α-ketoglutarate is critically important for sole hydroxyectoine production. Finally, quorum sensing-based auto-regulation of intracellular α-ketoglutarate pool was implemented as an alternative to α-ketoglutarate addition by coupling the expression of sucA with the esaI/esaR circuit, which led to 14.93 g/L hydroxyectoine with a unit cell yield of 1.678 g/g and no ectoine accumulation in the absence of osmotic stress. This is the highest reported titer of sole hydroxyectoine production under salinity-free fermentation to date.     

1.55 A structure of the ectoine binding protein TeaA of the osmoregulated TRAP-transporter TeaABC from Halomonas elongata

TeaABC from the moderate halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata belongs to the tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic transporters (TRAP-T), a family of secondary transporters functioning in conjunction with periplasmic substrate binding proteins. TeaABC facilitates the uptake of the compatible solutes ectoine and hydroxyectoine that are accumulated in the cytoplasm under hyperosmotic stress to protect the cell from dehydration. TeaABC is the only known TRAP-T activated by osmotic stress. Currently, our knowledge on the osmoregulated compatible solute transporter is limited to ABC transporters or conventional secondary transporters. Therefore, this study presents the first detailed analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying substrate recognition of the substrate binding protein of an osmoregulated TRAP-T. In the present study we were able to demonstrate by isothermal titration calorimetry measurements that TeaA is a high-affinity ectoine binding protein ( K d = 0.19 microM) that also has a significant but somewhat lower affinity to hydroxyectoine ( K d = 3.8 microM). Furthermore, we present the structure of TeaA in complex with ectoine at a resolution of 1.55 A and hydroxyectoine at a resolution of 1.80 A. Analysis of the TeaA binding pocket and comparison of its structure to other compatible solute binding proteins from ABC transporters reveal common principles in compatible solute binding but also significant differences like the solvent-mediated specific binding of ectoine to TeaA.     

Isolation and characterization of salt-sensitive mutants of the moderately halophilic bacterium Salinivibrio costicola subsp. yaniae

Salinivibrio costicola subsp. yaniae is a moderately halophilic bacterium which can grow over a wide range of salinity. In response to external osmotic stress (1-3 M NaCl), S. costicola subsp. yaniae can accumulate ectoine, glycine betaine, and glutamate as compatible solutes. We used suicide plasmids pSUP101 to introduce transposon Tn1732 into S. costicola subsp. yaniae via Escherichia coli SM10 mediated by conjugation. One Tn1732-induced mutant, MU1, which was very sensitive to the external salt concentration, was isolated. Mutant MU1 did not grow above 1.5 M NaCl and did not synthesize ectoine, but accumulated Ngamma-acetyldiaminobutyrate, an ectoine precursor, as confirmed by (1)H-NMR analysis. From these data, we concluded that ectoine performs a key role in osmotic adaptation towards high salinity environments in strain S. costicola subsp. yaniae.     

Involvement of EupR,a response regulator of the NarL/FixJ family,in the control of the uptake of the compatible solutes ectoines by the halophilic bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chromohalobacter salexigens</Emphasis>

Background  

Osmosensing and associated signal transduction pathways have not yet been described in obligately halophilic bacteria. Chromohalobacter salexigens is a halophilic bacterium with a broad range of salt tolerance. In response to osmotic stress, it synthesizes and accumulates large amounts of the compatible solutes ectoine and hydroxyectoine. In a previous work, we showed that ectoines can be also accumulated upon transport from the external medium, and that they can be used as carbon sources at optimal, but not at low salinity. This was related to an insufficient ectoine(s) transport under these conditions.     

Adaptation of anaerobic biomass to saline conditions: Role of compatible solutes and extracellular polysaccharides

This study investigated the role of compatible solutes, extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), and nutrients on anaerobic biomass when stressed with salinity. When 1 mM of osmoregulants glycine betaine, α-glutamate and β-glutamate were added separately to serum bottles containing biomass not adapted to sodium, and fed with glucose and 35 g NaCl/L, all the compatible solutes were found to alleviate sodium inhibition, although glycine betaine was found to be the most effective. The effect of glycine betaine on different anaerobic bacterial groups under salinity stress was monitored using VFAs, and showed that methanogens were more protected than propionate utilisers. Moreover, the addition of 1 mM of glycine betaine to anaerobic biomass not adapted to salinity resulted in significantly higher methane production rates compared with anaerobic biomass that was exposed for 4 weeks to 35 g NaCl/L. Interestingly, under saline batch conditions when the medium was replaced totally the culture produced less methane than when only new substrate was added due to compatible solutes cycling between the media and the cell. The elimination of macronutrients from the medium was found to have a more pronounced negative effect on biomass under saline compared with nonsaline conditions, and because of the synthesis of N-compatible solutes sufficient nutrients should always be present. On the other hand, the absence from the medium of micronutrients did not further reduce biomass activity under salinity. Finally, a higher production of EPS was obtained from biomass exposed to higher salt concentrations, and its composition was found to change under different saline conditions and time. As a result, biomass under saline conditions had a slightly higher mean flock size compared with the biomass that was not subjected to salt.     

Rapid Method for Isolation of Desiccation-Tolerant Strains and Xeroprotectants

A novel biotechnological process has been developed for the isolation of desiccation-tolerant microorganisms and their xeroprotectants, i.e., compatible solutes involved in long-term stability of biomolecules in the dry state. Following exposure of soil samples to chloroform, we isolated a collection of desiccation-tolerant microorganisms. This collection was screened for the production of xeroprotectants by a variation of the bacterial milking (osmotic downshock) procedure and by a novel air-drying/rehydration (“dry milking”) incubation method. The resultant solutes were shown to protect both proteins and living cells against desiccation damage, thereby validating them as xeroprotectants. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analytical studies were performed to identify the xeroprotectants; synthetic mixtures of these compounds were shown to perform similarly to natural isolates in drying experiments with proteins and cells. This new approach has biotechnological and environmental implications for the identification of new xeroprotectants of commercial and therapeutic value.Some microorganisms accumulate small organic compounds in response to changing extracellular osmolarity, as with desiccation or addition of salts (2, 8). These compatible solutes, e.g., the disaccharide trehalose or the hydroxypyrimidine hydroxyectoine, act as osmoprotectants but under laboratory conditions can also stabilize enzymes, DNA, membranes, and even whole cells against different kinds of stress, such as freezing, drying, and heating (8, 18, 21, 37). A further benefit of nonreducing sugars such as trehalose is that they do not undergo damaging Maillard reactions with amino acids or proteins in the dry state; they therefore offer excellent protection to biomolecules and even living cells during desiccation (9, 12, 15). In consequence, there is great biotechnological interest in these solutes, since many different biomolecules and cells require stabilization to allow long-term storage for commercial use (4, 24, 35). Those compatible solutes that ensure long-term storage stability in the dry state (10, 11, 13) we term “xeroprotectants.” Different biomolecules or cells are protected to different degrees depending on the xeroprotectants that are used (21). Therefore, new xeroprotectants together with new formulations are likely to be needed to preserve a wide range of desiccation-sensitive biomolecules and cell types, such as some vaccines, mammalian cells, or even whole tissues (30).In order to obtain large amounts of some compatible solutes (ectoine and hydroxyectoine), Sauer and Galinski (25) developed a technology termed bacterial milking. This technology is based on incubation of appropriate cells (i.e., Halomonas elongata) under hyperosmotic conditions followed by a transfer of the cells to low-salinity medium (osmotic downshock), which results in the release of the compatible solutes into the medium. Here we have used a variation of the bacterial milking method and have also developed a new technique for extracting xeroprotectants by slowly air drying newly isolated desiccation-tolerant microorganisms, followed by rapid rehydration; we term this “dry milking.”We also have previously shown how drying living cells in the presence of glass-forming protective molecules, such as trehalose or hydroxyectoine, results in extremely high solvent tolerance (23, 31). Thus, bacterial cells of Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas putida dried in the presence of xeroprotectants can be exposed to organic solvents such as pure chloroform or acetone without a detrimental effect on their viability. We hypothesize that naturally desiccation-tolerant microorganisms show similar solvent tolerances, and we therefore used a combination of organic solvent treatment of soil samples followed by milking of the bacterial isolates to identify new desiccation-tolerant microorganisms and their xeroprotectants. We obtained a collection of xerotolerant strains and demonstrated potential applications for the xeroprotectants extracted from those strains as stabilizers of lipase enzyme and living cells of E. coli MC4100 in the dry state. The chemical composition of the extracts was examined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and synthetic mixtures based on such analysis were tested for their xeroprotective potential.     

Role of Ngamma-acetyldiaminobutyrate as an enzyme stabilizer and an intermediate in the biosynthesis of hydroxyectoine.

Strain CHR63 is a salt-sensitive mutant of the moderately halophilic wild-type strain Halomonas elongata DSM 3043 that is affected in the ectoine synthase gene (ectC). This strain accumulates large amounts of Ngamma-acetyldiaminobutyrate (NADA), the precursor of ectoine (D. Cánovas, C. Vargas, F. Iglesias-Guerra, L. N. Csonka, D. Rhodes, A. Ventosa, and J. J. Nieto, J. Biol. Chem. 272:25794-25801, 1997). Hydroxyectoine, ectoine, and glucosylglycerate were also identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as cytoplasmic organic solutes in this mutant. Accumulation of NADA, hydroxyectoine, and ectoine was osmoregulated, whereas the levels of glucosylglycerate decreased at higher salinities. The effect of the growth stage on the accumulation of solutes was also investigated. NADA was purified from strain CHR63 and was shown to protect the thermolabile enzyme rabbit muscle lactate dehydrogenase against thermal inactivation. The stabilizing effect of NADA was greater than the stabilizing effect of ectoine or potassium diaminobutyrate. A (1)H NMR analysis of the solutes accumulated by the wild-type strain and mutants CHR62 (ectA::Tn1732) and CHR63 (ectC::Tn1732) indicated that H. elongata can synthesize hydroxyectoine by two different pathways-directly from ectoine or via an alternative pathway that converts NADA into hydroxyectoine without the involvement of ectoine.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Marinococcus halophilus</Emphasis> DSM 20408<Superscript>T </Superscript>encodes two transporters for compatible solutes belonging to the betaine-carnitine-choline transporter family: identification and characterization of ectoine transporter EctM and glycine betaine transporter BetM

In response to osmotic stress, the halophilic, Gram-positive bacterium Marinococcus halophilus accumulates compatible solutes either by de novo synthesis or by uptake from the medium. To characterize transport systems responsible for the uptake of compatible solutes, a plasmid-encoded gene bank of M. halophilus was transferred into the transport-deficient strain Escherichia coli MKH13, and two genes were cloned by functional complementation required for ectoine and glycine betaine transport. The ectoine transporter is encoded by an open reading frame of 1,578 bp named ectM. The gene ectM encodes a putative hydrophobic, 525-residue protein, which shares significant identity to betaine-carnetine-choline transporters (BCCTs). The transporter responsible for the uptake of glycine betaine in M. halophilus is encoded by an open reading frame of 1,482 bp called betM. The potential, hydrophobic BetM protein consists of 493 amino acid residues and belongs, like EctM, to the BCCT family. The affinity of whole cells of E. coli MKH13 for ectoine (K_s=1.6 M) and betaine (K_s=21.8 M) was determined, suggesting that EctM and BetM exhibit a high affinity for their substrates. An elevation of the salinity in the medium resulted in an increased uptake of ectoine via EctM and glycine betaine via BetM in E. coli MKH13 cells, demonstrating that both systems are osmoregulated.Communicated by W.D. Grant     

Ectoines as compatible solutes and carbon and energy sources for the halophilic bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens

AIMS: To investigate the catabolism of ectoine and hydroxyectoine, which are the major compatible solutes synthesized by Chromohalobacter salexigens. METHODS AND RESULTS: Growth curves performed in M63 minimal medium with low (0.75 mol l(-1) NaCl), optimal (1.5 mol l(-1) NaCl) or high (2.5 mol l(-1) NaCl) salinity revealed that betaine and ectoines were used as substrate for growth at optimal and high salt. Ectoine transport was maximal at optimal salinity, and showed 3- and 1.5-fold lower values at low and high salinity respectively. The salt-sensitive ectA mutant CHR62 showed an ectoine transport rate 6.8-fold higher than that of the wild type. Incubation of C. salexigens in a mixture of glucose and ectoine resulted in a biphasic growth pattern. However, CO(2) production due to ectoine catabolism was lower, but not completely abolished, in the presence of glucose. When used as the sole carbon source, glycine betaine effectively inhibited ectoine and hydroxyectoine synthesis at any salinity. CONCLUSIONS: The catabolic pathways for ectoine and hydroxyectoine in C. salexigens operate at optimal and high (although less efficiently) salinity. Endogenous ectoine(s) may repress its own transport. Ectoine utilization was only partially repressed by glucose. Betaine, when used as carbon source, suppresses synthesis of ectoines even under high osmolarity conditions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study is a previous step to the subsequent isolation and manipulation of the catabolic genes, so as to generate strains with enhanced production of ectoine and hydroxyectoine.     

Accumulation of the compatible solutes, glycine-betaine and ectoine, in osmotic stress adaptation and heat shock cross-protection in the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2

AIMS: The effect of modifying the water activity (a(w)) of Pantoea agglomerans growth medium with the ionic solute NaCl on water stress resistance, heat-shock survival and intracellular accumulation of the compatible solutes glycine-betaine and ectoine were determined. METHODS AND RESULTS: The bacterium was cultured in an unmodified liquid medium or that modified with NaCl to 0.98 and 0.97 a(w), and viability of cells evaluated on a 0.96 a(w)-modified solid media to check water stress tolerance. Cells grown under ionic stress had better water stress tolerance than control cells. These cells also had cross-protection to heat stress (30 min, 45 degrees C). The modified cells accumulated substantial amounts of the compatible solutes glycine-betaine and ectoine in contrast to the control cells, which contained little or none of these two compounds. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement in osmotic and thermal tolerance of cells of the biocontrol agent P. agglomerans by modifying growth media with the ionic solute NaCl was achieved. The compatible solutes glycine-betaine and ectoine play a critical role in environmental stress tolerance improvement. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This approach provides a method for improving the physiological quality of inocula and could have implications for formulation and shelf-life of biocontrol agents.     

Optimization of the extraction and purification of the compatible solute ectoine from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halomonas elongate</Emphasis> in the laboratory experiment of a commercial production project

Optimization of compatible solutes (ectoine) extraction and purification from Halomonas elongata cell fermentation had been investigated in the laboratory tests of a large scale commercial production project. After culturing H. elongata cells in developed medium at 28?°C for 23–30 h, we obtained an average yield and biomass of ectoine for 15.9 g/L and 92.9 (OD₆₀₀), respectively. Cell lysis was performed with acid treatment at moderate high temperature (60–70?°C). The downstream processing operations were designed to be as follows: filtration, desalination, cation exchange, extraction of crude product and three times of refining. Among which the cation exchange and extraction of crude product acquired a high average recovery rate of 95 and 96%; whereas a great loss rate of 19 and 15% was observed during the filtration and desalination, respectively. Combined with the recovering of ectoine from the mother liquor of the three times refining, the average of overall yield (referring to the amount of ectoine synthesized in cells) and purity of final product obtained were 43% and over 98%, respectively. However, key factors that affected the production efficiency were not yields but the time used in the extraction of crude product, involving the crystallization step from water, which spended 24–72 h according to the production scale. Although regarding to the productivity and simplicity on laboratory scale, the method described here can not compete with other investigations, in this study we acquired higher purity of ectoine and provided downstream processes that are capable of operating on industrial scale.