Coping with the cold: the cold shock response in the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

All organisms examined to date, respond to a sudden change in environmental temperature with a specific cascade of adaptation reactions that, in some cases, have been identified and monitored at the molecular level. According to the type of temperature change, this response has been termed heat shock response (HSR) or cold shock response (CSR). During the HSR, a specialized sigma factor has been shown to play a central regulatory role in controlling expression of genes predominantly required to cope with heatinduced alteration of protein conformation. In contrast, after cold shock, nucleic acid structure and proteins interacting with the biological information molecules DNA and RNA appear to play a major cellular role. Currently, no cold-specific sigma factor has been identified. Therefore, unlike the HSR, the CSR appears to be organized as a complex stimulon rather than resembling a regulon. This review has been designed to draw a refined picture of our current understanding of the CSR in Bacillus subtilis. Important processes such as temperature sensing, membrane adaptation, modification of the translation apparatus, as well as nucleoid reorganization and some metabolic aspects, are discussed in brief. Special emphasis is placed on recent findings concerning the nucleic acid binding cold shock proteins, which play a fundamental role, not only during cold shock adaptation but also under optimal growth conditions.

Comprehensive Characterization of the Contribution of Individual SigB-Dependent General Stress Genes to Stress Resistance ofBacillus subtilis

“…The adaptation of B. subtilis to a sudden drop in temperature involves multiple facets, such as the importance of cold shock proteins for maintaining cellular translational capacity (62), as well as the role of a fatty acid desaturase (1,14,61) and anteiso-branched fatty acid biosynthesis (28) in maintaining an appropriate degree of fluidity of the cytoplasmic membrane. Very recently, two independent reports (11, 37) provided evidence that the B -dependent general stress response plays a role in adaptation of B. subtilis to growth at low temperature.…”

RNA single strands bind to a conserved surface of the major cold shock protein in crystals and solution

“…This activity may be essential for efficient translation initiation within E. coli at reduced growth temperature (Weber and Marahiel 2002) but has been challenged for CSPs in B. subtilis (Hofweber et al 2005).…”

Precursor and temperature modulation of fatty acid composition and growth of Listeria monocytogenes cold-sensitive mutants with transposon-interrupted branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase

“…Low temperature has profound effects on all aspects of microbial cell structure and function, involving the structural integrity of macromolecules, macromolecular assemblies, protein synthesis and nutrient uptake (Panoff et al, 1998;Weber & Marahiel, 2002 Two Tn917 transposon-induced mutants (cld-1 and cld-2) have lost the ability to grow at 4 u C on solid media, but are not defective in the induction of cold-shock proteins (Bayles et al, 1996). These mutants are deficient in the production of odd-numbered BCFAs, and exhibit atypical amounts of even-numbered straight-chain and iso-BCFAs (Annous et al , 1997;Edgcomb et al, 2000).…”

“…Low temperature has profound effects on all aspects of microbial cell structure and function, involving the structural integrity of macromolecules, macromolecular assemblies, protein synthesis and nutrient uptake (Panoff et al, 1998;Weber & Marahiel, 2002). Small, nucleic-acidbinding, cold-shock proteins play key roles in resuming growth under cold shock (Panoff et al, 1998).…”

“…The ability of L. monocytogenes to grow at refrigeration temperatures is a critical aspect of its role as a food-borne pathogen, since refrigeration temperature inhibits the growth of most other food-borne pathogens (Bryan, 2004). However, the underlying psychrotolerance mechanism is not completely understood, and a better understanding may result in a novel strategy for controlling the growth of L. monocytogenes at low temperatures.Low temperature has profound effects on all aspects of microbial cell structure and function, involving the structural integrity of macromolecules, macromolecular assemblies, protein synthesis and nutrient uptake (Panoff et al, 1998;Weber & Marahiel, 2002 Two Tn917 transposon-induced mutants (cld-1 and cld-2) have lost the ability to grow at 4 u C on solid media, but are not defective in the induction of cold-shock proteins (Bayles et al, 1996). These mutants are deficient in the production of odd-numbered BCFAs, and exhibit atypical amounts of even-numbered straight-chain and iso-BCFAs (Annous et al , 1997;Edgcomb et al, 2000).…”