1 3
Extremophiles
DOI 10.1007/s00792-017-0942-2
ORIGINAL PAPER
Thermal adaptation strategies of the extremophile bacterium
Thermus filiformis based on multi-omics analysis
F. Mandelli
1,2
· M. B. Couger
3
· D. A. A. Paixão
1
· C. B. Machado
1
· C. M. Carnielli
4
·
J. A. Aricetti
1
· I. Polikarpov
5
· R. Prade
3
· C. Caldana
1,6
· A. F. Paes Leme
4
·
A. Z. Mercadante
2
· D. M. Riaño-Pachón
1,7
· Fabio Marcio Squina
8
Received: 10 February 2017 / Accepted: 29 April 2017
© Springer Japan 2017
and duplication of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, were also
related to T. filiformis thermoadaptation. The heat-shock
response influenced the carotenoid profile of T. filiformis,
favoring the synthesis of thermozeaxanthins and ther-
mobiszeaxanthins, which are related to membrane stabi-
lization at high temperatures. Furthermore, antioxidant
enzymes correlated with free radical scavenging, including
superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase, and metab-
olites, such as oxaloacetate and α-ketoglutarate, were accu-
mulated at 77 °C.
Keywords Transcriptomics · Proteomics · Metabolomics ·
Thermozeaxanthins · Peroxyl radical scavenging activity
Introduction
Extremophile microorganisms, such as acidophiles, alka-
liphiles, barophiles, psychrophiles, and thermophiles, are
well adapted to conditions that are otherwise unfavorable
to human life. The macromolecules from extremophile
Abstract Thermus filiformis is an aerobic thermophilic
bacterium isolated from a hot spring in New Zealand. The
experimental study of the mechanisms of thermal adap-
tation is important to unveil response strategies of the
microorganism to stress. In this study, the main pathways
involved on T. filiformis thermoadaptation, as well as, ther-
mozymes with potential biotechnological applications were
revealed based on omics approaches. The strategy adopted
in this study disclosed that pathways related to the carbo-
hydrate metabolism were affected in response to thermo-
adaptation. High temperatures triggered oxidative stress,
leading to repression of genes involved in glycolysis and
the tricarboxylic acid cycle. During heat stress, the glucose
metabolism occurred predominantly via the pentose phos-
phate pathway instead of the glycolysis pathway. Other
processes, such as protein degradation, stringent response,
Communicated by A. Driessen.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this
article (doi:10.1007/s00792-017-0942-2) contains supplementary
material, which is available to authorized users.
* Fabio Marcio Squina
fabio.squina@gmail.com
1
Laboratório Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Bioetanol
(CTBE), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e
Materiais (CNPEM), Campinas, Brazil
2
Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos, Faculdade de
Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade Estadual de
Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
3
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics,
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA
4
Laboratório Nacional de Biociências (LNBio), Centro
Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM),
Campinas, Brazil
5
Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo
(USP), São Carlos, Brazil
6
Max Planck Partner Group at Brazilian Bioethanol Science
and Technology Laboratory/CNPEM, Campinas, Brazil
7
Present Address: Guest Researcher at Laboratório de
Biologia de Sistemas Regulatórios, Instituto de Química,
Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
8
Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais,
Universidade de Sorocaba (UNISO), Sorocaba, Brazil