TITLE:
The Use of Macroarray as a Simple Tool to Follow the Metabolic Profile of Lactobacillus plantarum during Fermentation
AUTHORS:
Minna Kahala, Virpi Ahola, Elina Mäkimattila, Lars Paulin, Vesa Joutsjoki
KEYWORDS:
Macroarray, Gene Expression, L. plantarum
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.14,
October
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: This study
focused on defining the differences in L.
plantarum gene expression levels in different media and in different growth
phases using an easy and cost-efficient monitoring of gene expression. A
macroarray based on a group of selected L.
plantarum genes, 178 genes belonging to 18 main groups, printed onto a
nitrocellulose filter was designed in this work. Using the macrofilters
designed, the expression of a selected set of L. plantarum genes was assayed in synthetic MRS medium and in extracted
carrot juice. To compare the potential differences of starter gene expression
in hygienic and contaminated cultivation media, the L. plantarum strain was cultivated in both sterile and contaminated
(yeast and Escherichia coli) MRS and
carrot juice. The number of genes found to be regulated as a function of growth
was clearly higher in MRS-based growth medium than in carrot juice, In carrot
juice, expression of the gene encoding malolactic enzyme (MLE), which makes L. plantarum an advantageous microbe in
e.g. wine making, was found to be upregulated in logarithmic phase of growth.
The current study demonstrated that macroarrays printed on nitrocellulose
filters with simple robotic systems can be analyzed by standard laboratory
equipment and methods usually available in molecular laboratories. Using this
technology, rapid and cost-efficient analysis of genome function of L. plantarum can be carried out e.g. in
developing regions, where lactic acid fermentation of food and feed matrices is
a common practice.