Relationship between acid tolerance and cell membrane in Bifidobacterium, revealed by comparative analysis of acid-resistant derivatives and their parental strains grown in medium with and without Tween 80.

ABSTRACT

The acid tolerance is particularly important for bifidobacteria to function as probiotics because they usually encounter acidic environments in food products and gastrointestinal tract passage. In this study, two acid-resistant derivatives Bifidobacterium longum JDY1017dpH and Bifidobacterium breve BB8dpH, which displayed a stable acid-resistant phenotype, were generated. The relationship between acid tolerance and cell membrane was investigated by comparing the two acid-resistant derivatives and their parental strains grown in medium with and without Tween 80. The fold increase in acid tolerance of the two acid-resistant derivatives relative to their parental strains was much higher when cells were grown in medium with Tween 80 (10(4) ~ 10(5)-fold) than without Tween 80 (181- and 245-fold). Moreover, when cells were grown in medium with Tween 80, the two acid-resistant derivatives exhibited more C181 and cycC190, higher mean fatty acid chain length, lower membrane fluidity, and higher expression of cfa gene encoding cyclopropane fatty acid synthase than their parental strains. No significant differences in cell membrane were observed between the two acid-resistant derivatives and their parental strains when cells were grown in medium without Tween 80. The present study revealed that, when cells were grown in medium with Tween 80, the significant fold increase in acid tolerance of the two acid-resistant derivatives was mainly ascribed to the pronounced changes in cell membrane compared with their parental strains. Results presented here could provide a basis for developing new strategies of cell membrane modification to enhance acid tolerance in bifidobacteria.