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Title: Metabolic Adaptations of Azospirillum brasilense to Oxygen Stress by Cell-to-Cell Clumping and Flocculation

Journal Article · · Applied and Environmental Microbiology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02782-15· OSTI ID:1324041
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [4]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical Sciences Division
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program
  4. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology; Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program
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The ability of bacteria to monitor their metabolism and adjust their behavior accordingly is critical to maintain competitiveness in the environment. The motile microaerophilic bacteriumAzospirillum brasilensenavigates oxygen gradients by aerotaxis in order to locate low oxygen concentrations that can support metabolism. When cells are exposed to elevated levels of oxygen in their surroundings, motileA. brasilensecells implement an alternative response to aerotaxis and form transient clumps by cell-to-cell interactions. Clumping was suggested to represent a behavior protecting motile cells from transiently elevated levels of aeration. Using the proteomics of wild-type and mutant strains affected in the extent of their clumping abilities, we show that cell-to-cell clumping represents a metabolic scavenging strategy that likely prepares the cells for further metabolic stresses. Analysis of mutants affected in carbon or nitrogen metabolism confirmed this assumption. The metabolic changes experienced as clumping progresses prime cells for flocculation, a morphological and metabolic shift of cells triggered under elevated-aeration conditions and nitrogen limitation. The analysis of various mutants during clumping and flocculation characterized an ordered set of changes in cell envelope properties accompanying the metabolic changes. These data also identify clumping and early flocculation to be behaviors compatible with the expression of nitrogen fixation genes, despite the elevated-aeration conditions. Finally, cell-to-cell clumping may thus license diazotrophy to microaerophilicA. brasilensecells under elevated oxygen conditions and prime them for long-term survival via flocculation if metabolic stress persists.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; MCB-0919819; MCB-1330344
OSTI ID:
1324041
Journal Information:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 81, Issue 24; ISSN 0099-2240
Publisher:
American Society for MicrobiologyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 27 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (5)

MiST 3.0: an updated microbial signal transduction database with an emphasis on chemosensory systems journal November 2019
Biofilm formation enables free-living nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria to fix nitrogen under aerobic conditions journal March 2017
Distinct Chemotaxis Protein Paralogs Assemble into Chemoreceptor Signaling Arrays To Coordinate Signaling Output journal September 2019
RNA-seq reveals differentially expressed genes in rice (Oryza sativa) roots during interactions with plant-growth promoting bacteria, Azospirillum brasilense journal May 2019
Isolation and characterization of Lactobacillus-derived membrane vesicles journal January 2019

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Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
diazotroph
exopolysaccharides
motility
nitrogenase
nitrogen fixation