Transcriptome profile of carbon catabolite repression in an efficient l-(+)-lactic acid-producing bacterium Enterococcus mundtii QU25 grown in media with combinations of cellobiose, xylose, and glucose

Genome and fermentation analyses of Enterococcus faecalis DB-5 isolated from Japanese Mandarin orange: An assessment of potential application in lactic acid production

Enterococcus faecalis strain DB-5 is a lactic acid bacterium newly isolated from the Japanese mandarin orange (mikan). The DB-5 strain produces organic acid from various carbohydrate sources including glycerol and starch. To gain deeper insights into its potential application in lactic acid fermentation (LAF), the genome and fermentation analyses of E. faecalis DB-5 were performed. Whole genome sequencing was carried out using the DNBSEQ platform. After trimming and assembly, the total size of the assembled genome was revealed to be 3,048,630 bp, distributed into 63 contigs with an N₅₀ value of 203,673. The genome has 37.2% GC content, 2928 coding DNA sequences, and 54 putative RNA genes. The DB-5 strain harbored two l-lactate dehydrogenases (L-LDHs), both of which conserved the catalytic domain sequences. The optical purity measurement showed that strain DB-5 is homofermentative and produced only l-lactic acid (LA), which correlated with genome-based pathway analysis. To confirm its LA productivity at high temperatures, open repeated batch fermentation was performed at 45 °C using sucrose as a carbon source. The volumetric LA productivity of DB-5 was averaged at 3.66 g L^-1 h^-1 for 24 h during the 3rd to 11th fermentation cycles. E. faecalis DB-5 could efficiently convert around 94% of sucrose to LA throughout the fermentation cycles at 45 °C. These genomic characteristics and fermentation properties of E. faecalis DB-5 provide beneficial information for a deeper understanding of the functional properties of future high-temperature LAFs from biomass resources.

Carbon catabolite regulation of secondary metabolite formation, an old but not well-established regulatory system

Secondary microbial metabolites have various functions for the producer microorganisms, which allow them to interact and survive in adverse environments. In addition to these functions, other biological activities may have clinical relevance, as diverse as antimicrobial, anticancer and hypocholesterolaemic effects. These metabolites are usually formed during the idiophase of growth and have a wide diversity in their chemical structures. Their synthesis is under the impact of the type and concentration of the culture media nutrients. Some of the molecular mechanisms that affect the synthesis of secondary metabolites in bacteria (Gram-positive and negative) and fungi are partially known. Moreover, all microorganisms have their peculiarities in the control mechanisms of carbon sources, even those belonging to the same genus. This regulatory knowledge is necessary to establish culture conditions and manipulation methods for genetic improvement and product fermentation. As the carbon source is one of the essential nutritional factors for antibiotic production, its study has been imperative both at the industrial and research levels. This review aims to draw the utmost recent advances performed to clarify the molecular mechanisms of the negative effect exerted by the carbon source on the secondary metabolite formation, emphasizing those found in Streptomyces, one of the genera most profitable antibiotic producers.