A short peptide derived from late embryogenesis abundant proteins enhances acid tolerance in Escherichia coli via modulation of two-component regulatory systems.

ABSTRACT: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are responsible for facilitating tolerance to various environmental stresses across diverse organisms. Group 3 LEA proteins are characterised by the presence of 11-mer amino acid motifs, which inspired the design of short peptides with similar protective functions. Here, we designed a LEA peptide variant (LEA-K) and evaluated its acid tolerance capacity in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) at pH4. Expression of LEA-K peptide improved the bacterial viability under acidic stress, suggesting its protective functions. To explore the molecular mechanism of such tolerance, we combined the RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) technique and molecular docking simulations. Transcriptome analysis identified 283 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and revealed metabolic rep

SUBMITTER: Metwally K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12871917 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature