Bacterial gene expression at low temperatures

• Published in: Extremophiles
• Main Authors: Trevors, J. T., Bej, A. K., Mojib, N., van Elsas, J. D., Van Overbeek, L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Cold adaptation; Antifreeze protein; qRT-PCR; Microarray; 2-D protein gel; SYTO Green; Caps; Csps; AFP; IBP; Antarctica; Bacteria; Extreme; Environment; COLD-SHOCK PROTEINS; RALSTONIA-SOLANACEARUM BIOVAR-2; ARTHROBACTER-GLOBIFORMIS SI55; ESCHERICHIA-COLI; ANTIFREEZE PROTEINS; PSEUDOMONAS-MANDELII; NONCULTURABLE STATE; ACCLIMATION PROTEINS; ANTARCTIC BACTERIUM; VIBRIO-VULNIFICUS; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/1ff9ee5c-af65-4b69-883a-286157b6beec; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/1ff9ee5c-af65-4b69-883a-286157b6beec; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-011-0423-y

Under suboptimal environmental conditions such as low temperatures, many bacteria have an extended lag phase, altered cell structures, and composition such as a less fluid (more rigid) and leaky cytoplasmic membrane. As a result, cells may die, enter into a starvation mode of metabolism or a physiologically viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. In the latter state, the amount of gene expression per cell is virtually undetectable. In this article, gene expression under (suboptimal) low temperature conditions in non-psychrophilic environmental bacteria is examined. The pros and cons of some of the molecular methodologies for gene expression analysis are also discussed.