Biosurfactant-Mediated Membrane Depolarization Maintains Viability during Oxygen Depletion in Bacillus subtilis.

ABSTRACT: The presence or absence of oxygen in the environment is a strong effector of cellular metabolism and physiology. Like many eukaryotes and some bacteria, Bacillus subtilis primarily utilizes oxygen during respiration to generate ATP. Despite the importance of oxygen for B. subtilis survival, we know little about how populations adapt to shifts in oxygen availability. Here, we find that when oxygen was depleted from stationary phase B. subtilis cultures, ∼90% of cells died while the remaining cells maintained colony-forming ability. We discover that production of the antimicrobial surfactin confers two oxygen-related fitness benefits: it increases aerobic growth yield by increasing oxygen diffusion, and it maintains viability during oxygen depletion by depolarizing the membrane. Strains unab

SUBMITTER: Arjes HA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7153240 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature