Expression of DnaJ gene in Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris under stress conditions by quantitative real-time PCR.

UNLABELLED

This article describes the cloning, sequence analysis and expression of the DnaJ gene from Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris. The genome walking technique was used to clone the full-length sequence of DnaJ and quantitative real-time PCR was used to analyze DnaJ expression under stress conditions. AadnaJ (GenBank accession nr: HQ893544) containing an open reading frame of 1137 bp encoding 378 amino acid residues was cloned from A. acidoterrestris DSM 3922(T). The nucleotide sequence of AadnaJ shows 77% homology with the DnaJ of A. acidocaldarius LAA1. The DnaJ expression level was upgraded rapidly under heat or acid stress. Its mRNA expression level reached a peak value at 25 min after the onset of heat stress (70 °C) and at 1 h after the onset of acid stress (pH = 1). Acid stress at pH 1 for 25 and 60 min led to the DnaJ expression levels 2.1 times and 35.7 times above that of the control, respectively. In response to cold stress at 0 °C, the DnaJ expression level decreased drastically to 0.04 times that of the control level after 1 h. The expression patterns of DnaJ in response to the stress conditions shown here explained the heat and acidity endurance of A. acidoterrestris.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This study directly addresses the role of the DnaJ gene in temperature and acid endurance in A. acidoterrestris. This provides a basis for the development of genetic and molecular techniques that may minimize the adverse effects of A. acidoterrestris in fruit juice production. This study also sheds light on the design of heat- and acid-tolerant recombinases and the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying heat and acid resistance in A. acidoterrestris.