Significance and Impact of the Study: Shewanella baltica is one of the commonest spoilage microbial species, predominantly found in chilling seafood. Understanding mechanism of spoilage caused by S. baltica is critical to prevent spoilage of seafoods. This study explored the role of rpoS, a key regulator, in S. baltica. It revealed that rpoS takes part in stress adaptation such as heat, ethanol, H 2 O 2 and NaCl. Biofilm formation of S. baltica was affected by rpoS and incubation temperature. RpoS actively participated in quorum sensing system of S. baltica. This study provides evidence that RpoS is an important coordinator for environmental adaptation in S. baltica.

No abstract