Response of Lactobacillus casei BL23 to phenolic compounds

2 tables, 2 figures.-- Article first published online: 17 OCT 2011.-- The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com

Aims:  To determine the inhibitory effect of phenolic compounds on Lactobacillus casei BL23, the role of two component signal transduction systems (TCS) and the response of Lact. casei BL23 to p-coumaric acid. Methods and Results:  Growth of Lact. casei BL23 and 17 derivative strains defective in each TCS harboured by this strain in the presence of p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid or methyl gallate was monitored. Furthermore, changes in the protein content of Lact. casei BL23 when exposed to p-coumaric acid were evaluated by 2D-SDS-PAGE. Eleven proteins differentially expressed in the presence of p-coumaric acid were detected. Six of them could be identified: ClpP and HtrA, involved in protein turnover and folding, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, involved in lipid metabolism, and an arginyl-tRNA synthetase were more abundant, whereas PurL and PurN, involved in purine biosynthesis, were less abundant. Conclusions:  No significant differences were observed between the parental strain and the TCS-defective mutants. p-Coumaric acid elicited a response against membrane and cytoplasmic damages. Significance and Impact of the Study:  The inhibitory effect of phenolic compounds on Lact. casei BL23 has been determined. For the first time, cytoplasmic proteins presumably involved in the response of Lact. casei BL23 against p-coumaric acid have been identified.

This work was financed by AGL2010-15679 and Consolider Fun-C-Food CSD2007-00063 funds from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) and FEDER. J.M. Landete enjoyed a postdoctoral contract of the programme ‘Juan de la Cierva’ (MICINN).

Peer reviewed