Enzymatic, outer membrane proteins and plasmid alterations of starved Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus cells in seawater.

Fethi Ben Abdallah (1, 2) , Héla Kallel (2) , Amina Bakhrouf (1)

1 LATVPEP - Laboratoire d’Analyse, Traitement et Valorisation des Polluants de l’Environnement et des Produits
2 Fermentation et de Développement de Vaccins Virologiques

The marine bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus were incubated in seawater for 8 months to evaluate their adaptative responses to starvation. The starved cells showed an altered biochemical and enzymatic profiles, respectively, on Api 20E and Api ZYM systems and an evolution to the filterable minicells state capable to pass membrane pore size 0.45 microm. Outer membrane proteins patterns of stressed bacteria were also altered. Indeed, these modifications were manifested by the appearance and/or disappearance of bands as well as in the level of expression of certain proteins. Plasmids profiles analysis showed that V. alginolyticus ATCC 33787 lost three plasmids, whereas other tested strains conserved their initial profiles.

Keywords: Plasmids; Enzymatic; Morphological; Outer membrane proteins; Vibrio; Seawater; Starvation; Alterations

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Bacteriology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Protistology

Fethi Ben Abdallah, Héla Kallel, Amina Bakhrouf. Enzymatic, outer membrane proteins and plasmid alterations of starved Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus cells in seawater.. Archives of Microbiology, 2009, 191 (6), pp.493-500. ⟨10.1007/s00203-009-0477-8⟩. ⟨pasteur-01375187⟩