Transcriptomic analysis of Listeria monocytogenes under pulsed magnetic field treatment

Differential mechanism between Listeria monocytogenes strains with different virulence contaminating ready-to-eat sausages during the simulated gastrointestinal tract

Listeria monocytogenes exhibits varying levels of pathogenicity when entering the host through contaminated food. However, little is known regarding the stress response and environmental tolerance mechanism of different virulence strains to host gastrointestinal (GI) stimuli. This study analyzed the differences in the survival and genes of stress responses among two strains of L. monocytogenes 10403S (serotype 1/2a, highly virulent strain) and M7 (serotype 4a, low-virulence strain) during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The results indicated that L. monocytogenes 10403S showed greater acid and bile salt tolerance than L. monocytogenes M7, with higher survival rates and less cell deformation and cell membrane permeability during the in vitro digestion. KEGG analysis of the transcriptomes indicated that L. monocytogenes 10403S displayed significant activity in amino acid metabolism, such as glutamate and arginine, associated with acid tolerance. Additionally, L. monocytogenes 10403S demonstrated a higher efficacy in promoting activities that preserve bacterial cell membrane integrity and facilitate flagellar protein synthesis. These findings will contribute valuable practical insights into the tolerance distinctions among different virulence strains of L. monocytogenes in the GI environment.

Phenomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal the sequential synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans BYM

IMPORTANCE

As the most important non-magnetotactic magnetosome-producing bacteria, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans only requires very mild conditions to produce Fe3O4 nanoparticles, thus conferring greater flexibility and potential application in biomagnetic nanoparticle production. However, the available information cannot explain the mechanism of Fe3O4 nanoparticle formation in A. ferrooxidans. In this study, we applied phenomic and transcriptomic analyses to reveal this mechanism. We found that different treatment condition factors notably affect the phenomic data of Fe3O4 nanoparticle in A. ferrooxidans. Using transcriptomic analyses, the gene network controlling/regulating Fe3O4 nanoparticle biogenesis in A. ferrooxidans was proposed, excavating the candidate hub genes for Fe3O4 nanoparticle formation in A. ferrooxidans. Based on this information, a sequential model for Fe3O4 nanoparticle synthesis in A. ferrooxidans was hypothesized. It lays the groundwork for further clarifying the feature of Fe3O4 nanoparticle synthesis.

Inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms by thymoquinone in combination with nisin

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important foodborne pathogens that can persist in leafy green vegetables and subsequently produce biofilms. In this study, the synergistic effect of thymoquinone and nisin in reducing biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa on lettuce was evaluated, and their anti-virulence and anti-biofilm mechanisms were also investigated. At concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2 mg/ml, thymoquinone inhibited the production of autoinducers and virulence factors, and enhanced the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa biofilms to nisin as evidenced by the scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Integrated transcriptomics, metabolomics, and docking analyses indicated that thymoquinone treatment disrupted the quorum sensing (QS) system, altered cell membrane component, and down-regulated the expressions of genes related to virulence, efflux pump, and antioxidation. The changed membrane component and repressed efflux pump system enhanced membrane permeability and facilitated the entrance of nisin into cells, thus improving the susceptibility of biofilms to nisin. The dysfunctional QS and repressed antioxidant enzymes lead to the enhancement of oxidative stress. The enhanced oxidative stress disrupted energy metabolism and protein metabolism and ultimately attenuated the virulence and pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa PAO1. Our study indicated that thymoquinone has the potential to function as a QS-based agent to defend against foodborne pathogens in combination with nisin.

Sterilising effect of high power pulse microwave on Listeria monocytogenes

In the present work, Listeria monocytogenes was used as the target strain to investigate the sterilising potential and mechanism of high power pulse microwave (HPPM). Results showed that the inactivation was positively correlated with the pulse frequencies and operating times. The count of Listeria monocytogenes was decreased by 5.09 log CFU/mL under 200 Hz for 9 min, which was used as the optimised condition to further explore the sterilisation mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the L. monocytogenes cells of untreated group presented intact surfaces, clear boundary, and its intracellular contents distributed uniformly in the cytoplasm. Following treatment, the cell wall surfaces began to deform in small areas, and cell membranes were severely ruptured, thus resulting in the appearance of electron transmission areas. Extracellular protein and nucleic acid contents, represented by OD260 nm and OD280 nm, increased with the increase in operating time significantly. After treatment, SDS-PAGE profiles of whole-cell proteins displayed that the protein bands became lighter or even disappeared. Na+ K+-ATPase activities and intracellular ATP content decreased by 72.97 and 79.09%, respectively. This was consistent with the cell viability of L. monocytogenes observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Overall, the sterilisation mechanism of HPPM on L. monocytogenes may be caused by membrane damage, intracellular component leakage, and energy metabolism hindrance.

Synergistic Antibacterial Mechanism of Mannosylerythritol Lipid-A and Lactic Acid on Listeria monocytogenes Based on Transcriptomic Analysis

Mannosylerythritol lipids-A (MEL-A) is a novel biosurfactant with multiple biological effects. The synergistic antibacterial activity and mechanism of MEL-A and lactic acid (LA) against Listeria monocytogenes were investigated. The synergistic effect resulted in a significant increase in the antibacterial rate compared to LA treatment alone. Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis was applied to deeply investigate the synergistic antibacterial mechanism. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that the synergy between MEL-A and LA affected many potential cellular responses, including the sugar phosphotransferase system, carbohydrate transport, and ribosomes. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the PTS system and ribosome-related pathways were significantly enriched. In addition, synergistic treatment affected locomotion and membrane-related cellular responses in GO enrichment analysis and carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathways in KEGG enrichment analysis compared to LA treatment alone. The accuracy of the transcriptome analysis results was verified by qPCR (R² = 0.9903). This study will provide new insights for the prevention and control of L. monocytogenes.

Effect of ultrasonication on the metabolome and transcriptome profile changes in the fermentation of Ganoderma lucidum

Development of an efficient liquid fermentation method is helpful for food and pharmaceutical applications. This study investigated the effect of ultrasonication on the liquid fermentation of Ganoderma lucidum, a popular edible and medical fungi. Significant changes at both metabolic and transcriptional levels in mycelia were induced by ultrasound treatment. Compared with the control, 857 differential metabolites were identified (578 up- and 279 down-regulated metabolites), with more metabolites biosynthesis after sonication; 569 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (267 up- and 302 down-) and 932 DEGs (378 up- and 554 down-) were identified in ultrasound-treated samples with recovery time of 0.5 and 3 h, respectively. Furthermore, 334 DEGs were continuously induced within the recovery time of 3 h, indicating the lasting influence of sonication on mycelia. The DEGs and differential metabolites were mainly involved in pathways of carbohydrate, energy metabolism, amino acids, terpenoids biosynthesis and metabolism and membrane transport, suggesting that ultrasound induced multifaceted effects on primary and secondary metabolism. Ultrasonication enhanced the triterpenoids production of G. lucidum (34.96 %) by up-regulating the expression of terpenoids synthase genes. This study shows that the application of ultrasound in liquid fermentation of G. lucidum is an efficient approach to produce more metabolites.

Prospects and application of ultrasound and magnetic fields in the fermentation of rare edible fungi

Ultrasound has the potential to be broadly applied in the field of agricultural food processing due to advantages such as environmental friendliness, low energy costs, no need for exogenous additives and ease of operation. High-frequency ultrasound is mainly used in medical diagnosis and in the food industry for the identification of ingredients and production line quality testing, while low-frequency ultrasounds is mainly used for extraction and separation, accelerating chemical reactions, auxiliary microbial fermentation and quality enhancement in food industry. Magnetic fields have many advantages of convenient use, such as non-toxic, nonpolluting and safe. High-intensity pulsed magnetic fields are widely used as a physical non-thermal sterilization technology in food processing, while weak magnetic fields are better at activating microorganisms and promoting their growth. Ultrasound and magnetic fields, due to their positive biological effects, have a wide range of applications in the food processing industry. This paper provides an overview of the research progress and applications of ultrasound and magnetic fields in food processing from the perspectives of their biological effects and mechanisms of action. Additionally, with the development and application of physical field technology, physical fields can now be used to provide significant technical advantages for assisting fermentation. Suitable physical fields can promote the growth of microbial cells, improve mycelial production and increase metabolic activity. Furthermore, the current status of research into the use of ultrasound and magnetic field technologies for assisting the fermentation of rare edible fungi, is discussed.

Application of magnetic fields to wastewater treatment and its mechanisms: A review

Magnetic field (MF) has been applied widely and successfully as an efficient, low-cost and easy-to-use technique to enhance wastewater treatment (WWT) performance. Although the effects of MF on WWT were revealed and summarized by some works, they are still mysterious and complex. This review summarizes the application of MF in magnetic adsorption-separation of heavy metals and dyes, treatment of domestic wastewater and photo-magnetic coupling technology. Furthermore, the mechanisms of MF-enhanced WWT are critically elaborated from the perspective of magnetic physicochemical and biological effects, such as magnetoresistance, Lorentz force, and intracellular radical pair mechanism. At last, the challenges and opportunities for MF application in WWT are discussed. For overcoming the limitations and taking advantages of MFs in WWT, fundamental research of the mechanisms of the application of MFs should be carried out in the future.

Cell surface properties and transcriptomic analysis of cross protection provided between heat adaptation and acid stress in Tetragenococcus halophilus

Cross protection is a widely existed phenomenon in microorganisms which subjected to a mild stress develop tolerance to other stresses, yet the underlying mechanisms for this protection have not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that heat preadaptation induced cross protection against acid stress in Tetragenococcus halophilus, and the cross protective mechanisms were revealed based on cell surface characterizations and transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that heat preadaptation of T. halophilus at 45 °C for 1.5 h improved the acid tolerance of cells at pH 2.5, and the preadapted cells exhibited higher pH_i compared with the un-preadapted cells during acid stress. Analysis of the cell surface properties suggested that the heat-treated cells displayed smoother surface, lower roughness and higher integrity than those of untreated cells. Meanwhile, the distributions of membrane fatty acids also changed in response to acid stress, and the treated cells reveled lower ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids. RNA-Sequencing was employed to further elucidate the cross protective mechanism induced by heat preadaptation, and the results showed that the differentially expressed genes (DGEs) were mainly involved in cellular metabolism and membrane transport during heat preadaptation. A detailed analysis of gene expression profile of cells between heat treated and untreated revealed that genes associated with energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism and genetic information processing were induced upon heat stress. Results presented in this study may broaden our understanding on cross protection and provide a potential strategy to enhance the performance of cells during industrial processes.

Antibacterial Efficacy and Mechanism of Mannosylerythritol Lipids-A on Listeria monocytogenes

Mannosylerythritol lipids-A (MEL-A) is a novel biosurfactant with excellent surface activity and potential biomedical applications. In this study, we explored the antibacterial activity and the underlying mechanisms of MEL-A against the important food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. The bacterial growth and survival assays revealed a remarkable antibacterial activity of MEL-A. Since MEL-A is a biosurfactant, we examined the cell membrane integrity and morphological changes of MEL-A-treated bacteria by biochemical assays and flow cytometry analysis and electron microscopes. The results showed obvious damaging effects of MEL-A on the cell membrane and morphology. To further explore the antibacterial mechanism of MEL-A, a transcriptome analysis was performed, which identified 528 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the gene categories of membrane, localization and transport were enriched among the DEGs, and the analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways demonstrated significant changes in the maltodextrin ABC transporter system and stress response system. Furthermore, the growth of L. monocytogenes could also be significantly inhibited by MEL-A in milk, a model of a real food system, suggesting that MEL-A could be potentially applied as an natural antimicrobial agent to control food-borne pathogens in the food industry.

Impact of pulsed magnetic field treatment on enzymatic inactivation and quality of cloudy apple juice

The effects of PMF (5-7 T, 5-30 pulses) on enzyme activity, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, color, ascorbic acid, total phenols and antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging activity) of cloudy apple juice were evaluated. PMF inhibited activities of polyphenoloxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD) and pectinmethylesterase (PME), but PPO was more sensitive to PMF than POD and PME. At the intensity of 6 T with 15 pulses, PPO and POD both exhibited the lowest residual activity (53.22 and 92.96%), while PME showed the lowest residual activity (83.01%) at 7 T with 30 pulses. No significant effect on soluble solids was found under all processing parameters, whereas significant decreases of ascorbic acid were observed at the intensity of 7 T with 5-30 pulses. PMF did not change pH, titratable acidity, color, total phenols and DPPH radical scavenging activity severely. These results suggest PMF can be a potential technology for enzymatic inactivation in apple juice with high retention of quality.