Butanol Tolerance of <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i>: A Transcriptome Study

Biobutanol is a promising alternative fuel with impaired microbial production thanks to its toxicity. <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> (<i>L. plantarum</i>) is among the few bacterial species that can naturally tolerate 3% (<i>v</i>/<i>v</i>) butan...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kaloyan Petrov, Alexander Arsov, Penka Petrova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:Genes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/2/181
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Summary:Biobutanol is a promising alternative fuel with impaired microbial production thanks to its toxicity. <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> (<i>L. plantarum</i>) is among the few bacterial species that can naturally tolerate 3% (<i>v</i>/<i>v</i>) butanol. This study aims to identify the genetic factors involved in the butanol stress response of <i>L. plantarum</i> by comparing the differential gene expression in two strains with very different butanol tolerance: the highly resistant Ym1, and the relatively sensitive 8-1. During butanol stress, a total of 319 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in Ym1, and 516 in 8-1. Fifty genes were upregulated and 54 were downregulated in both strains, revealing the common species-specific effects of butanol stress: upregulation of multidrug efflux transporters (SMR, MSF), toxin-antitoxin system, transcriptional regulators (TetR/AcrR, Crp/Fnr, and DeoR/GlpR), Hsp20, and genes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis. Strong inhibition of the pyrimidine biosynthesis occurred in both strains. However, the strains differed greatly in DEGs responsible for the membrane transport, tryptophan synthesis, glycerol metabolism, tRNAs, and some important transcriptional regulators (Spx, LacI). Uniquely upregulated in the butanol-resistant strain Ym1 were the genes encoding GntR, GroEL, GroES, and foldase PrsA. The phosphoenolpyruvate flux and the phosphotransferase system (PTS) also appear to be major factors in butanol tolerance.
ISSN:2073-4425