Features of pseudomonads growing at low temperatures: another facet of their versatility

Abstract

Pseudomonads are a diverse and ecologically successful group of γ-proteobacteria present in many environments (terrestrial, freshwater and marine), either free living or associated with plants or animals. Their success is at least partly based on their ability to grow over a wide range of temperatures, their capacity to withstand different kinds of stress and their great metabolic versatility. Although the optimal growth temperature of pseudomonads is usually close to 25–30°C, many strains can also grow between 5°C and 10°C, and some of them even close to 0°C. Such low temperatures strongly affect the physicochemical properties of macromolecules, forcing cells to evolve traits that optimize growth and help them withstand cold-induced stresses such as increased levels of reactive oxygen species, reduced membrane fluidity and enzyme activity, cold-induced protein denaturation and the greater stability of DNA and RNA secondary structures. This review gathers the information available on the strategies used by pseudomonads to adapt to low temperature growth, and briefly describes some of the biotechnological applications that might benefit from cold-adapted bacterial strains and enzymes, e.g., biotransformation or bioremediation processes to be performed at low temperatures.

Isolation of antibiotic-producing <i>Pseudomonas</i> species with low-temperature cultivation of temperate soil

“…Its high stress-resistance capability is one reason for its wide range of habitats. Optimal temperatures of the genus Pseudomonas are around 25-30°C, but many of them can grow at low temperature, around 5°C (38). These characteristics are consistent with those of the Pseudomonas strains isolated in this study, which grew at 4°C and had a growth-optimal temperature of around 30°C.…”

Effect of Crc and Hfq proteins on the transcription, processing, and stability of the Pseudomonas putida CrcZ sRNA

“…Bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas are a clear example in this respect. They are metabolically and physiologically very flexible and have a considerable adaptive capacity that allows them to thrive in many different environments, even in extreme conditions (Silby et al 2011;Wu et al 2011;Moreno and Rojo 2014). Several recently described sRNAs have key roles in controlling many aspects of Pseudomonas physiology (Sharma and Storz 2011;Sonnleitner and Haas 2011;Gómez-Lozano et al 2015).…”

Tolerance of an Antarctic Bacterium to Multiple Environmental Stressors

“…In Pseudomonas, the Entner-Doudoroff pathway is exclusively used for metabolism of glucose. Besides producing ATP and NADH, it also generates NADPH which is believed to protect the cell from low-temperature-associated oxidative stress [10]. Thus, regulation of the activity of this enzyme appears to be coupled with adaptation of the organism to the environment.…”