Effects of low-salt stress on biological characteristics and transcriptomic profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Zhiyong Song; Lu Chen; Shiying Tang; Yingjie Pan; Qingchao Xie; Yong Zhao; Haiquan Liu

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.111047

Effects of low-salt stress on biological characteristics and transcriptomic profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Int J Food Microbiol. 2024 Dec 26:430:111047. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.111047. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhiyong Song¹, Lu Chen¹, Shiying Tang¹, Yingjie Pan², Qingchao Xie³, Yong Zhao⁴, Haiquan Liu⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
² College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquatic-Product Processing & Preservation, Shanghai 201306, China; Laboratory of Quality & Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Product on Storage and Preservation (Shanghai), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201306, China.
³ College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquatic-Product Processing & Preservation, Shanghai 201306, China; Laboratory of Quality & Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Product on Storage and Preservation (Shanghai), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201306, China; Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety Testing, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
⁴ College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquatic-Product Processing & Preservation, Shanghai 201306, China; Laboratory of Quality & Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Product on Storage and Preservation (Shanghai), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address: yzhao@shou.edu.cn.
⁵ College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquatic-Product Processing & Preservation, Shanghai 201306, China; Laboratory of Quality & Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Product on Storage and Preservation (Shanghai), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201306, China; Engineering Research Center of Food Thermal-processing Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Food Industry Chain Ecological Recycling Research Institute of Food Science and Technology College, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address: hqliu@shou.edu.cn.

PMID: 39729947
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.111047

Abstract

Studies have proved that halophilic Vibrio parahaemolyticus is widely detected in freshwater environments (salinity <0.5 %). However, the growth and colonization of V. parahaemolyticus in low-salt environments remain unclear. This study was envisaged to assess the effects of low-salt stress on the growth, motility and biofilm formation of V. parahaemolyticus and the transcriptomic changes that the bacterium responds to such stress. The results indicated that low salt concentrations supported the growth (allowing growth to proceed, though at a lower speed) of V. parahaemolyticus, prolonged the lag time (LT), and decreased the maximum specific growth rate (μ_max) of V. parahaemolyticus. Additionally, this low salinity inhibited its motility and enhanced its biofilm formation capacity. Notably, the growth of V. parahaemolyticus on both freshwater and marine-cultured Litopenaeus vannamei exhibited a similar trend, suggesting that V. parahaemolyticus might have adapted to thrive in freshwater food. Furthermore, the reasons for the support of V. parahaemolyticus growth in 0.25 % NaCl was analyzed by transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). RNA-seq revealed that V. parahaemolyticus can improve resistance to adverse environments by reducing energy consumption and enhancing oxidative stress resistance to adapt to a low-salt environment. This study revealed that the freshwater environment supported the growth of V. parahaemolyticus and its influence on the growth of V. parahaemolyticus, providing valuable theoretical support for risk assessment.

Keywords: Low salt environment; Transcriptome; Vibrio parahaemolyticus.