AUTHOR=Li Qin , Hu Kaidi , Mou Juan , Li Jianlong , Liu Aiping , Ao Xiaolin , Yang Yong , He Li , Chen Shujuan , Zou Likou , Guo Mingye , Liu Shuliang 

TITLE=Insight into the acid tolerance mechanism of Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis subsp. aerogenes Z-1

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1226031

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1226031

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Several lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are double-edged swords in the production of Sichuan bran vinegar; on the one hand, they are important for the flavour of the vinegar, but on the other hand, they result in vinegar deterioration because of their gas-producing features and their acid resistance. These characteristics intensify the difficulty in managing the safe production of vinegar using strains such as <italic>Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis</italic> subsp. <italic>aerogenes</italic> Z-1. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the mechanisms underlying their acid tolerance. The results of this study showed a survival rate of 77.2% for Z-1 when exposed to pH 3.0 stress for 1 h. This strain could survive for approximately 15 days in a vinegar solution with 4% or 6% total acid content, and its growth was effectively enhanced by the addition of 10 mM of arginine (Arg). Under acidic stress, the relative content of the unsaturated fatty acid C18:1 (n-11) increased, and eight amino acids accumulated in the cells. Meanwhile, based on a transcriptome analysis, the genes <italic>glnA</italic>, <italic>carA/B</italic>, <italic>arcA</italic>, <italic>murE/F/G</italic>, <italic>fabD/H/G</italic>, <italic>DnaK</italic>, <italic>uvrA</italic>, <italic>opuA/C</italic>, <italic>fliy</italic>, <italic>ecfA2</italic>, <italic>dnaA</italic> and <italic>LuxS</italic>, mainly enriched in amino acid transport and metabolism, protein folding, DNA repair, and cell wall/membrane metabolism processes, were hypothesized to be acid resistance-related genes in Z-1. This work paves the way for further clarifying the acid tolerance mechanism of Z-1 and shares applicable perspectives for vinegar brewing.</p>