The adaptive acid response in Mesorhizobium sp.

Mesorhizobium huakuii strain LL56 and Mesorhizobium sp. strain LL22, which nodulate Lotus glaber, developed an adaptive acid response during exponential growth upon exposure to sublethal acid conditions. The adaptive acid response was found to be dependent on the sublethal pH and the strain intrinsic acid tolerance: the lowest adaptation pH was 4.0 for strain LL56 and 5.7 for strain LL22, and the lowest pH values tolerated after adaptation were 3.0 and 4.0, respectively. Both complex and minimal medium allowed the development of the adaptive acid response, although in complex medium this response was more effective. Three low molecular weight polypeptides (LMWPs) showed increased expression in strain LL56 during the adaptation to pH 4.0. However, the adaptive acid tolerance was only partially dependent on de novo protein synthesis, and constitutive systems may play a significant role on the acid tolerance of Mesorhizobium huakuii strain LL56.