Transcriptome analysis of Clostridium beijerinckii adaptation mechanisms in response to ferulic acid

Clostridium beijerinckii 4693:int with high ferulic acid (FA) tolerance was engineered and characterized in our lab. In this study, the minimum inhibition concentrations of FA against C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 (wild-type) and 4693:int were 1.0 and 1.5 g/l, respectively; cell viability was 18.5% and 106.7%, respectively, in the presence of 0.5 g/l FA. A comparative transcriptome analysis was carried out at two different growth stages to evaluate sensitivity to FA. Genes that were differentially expressed included those related to redox and associated cofactors, riboflavin metabolism, two-component system, glycolysis and butanoate metabolism, and DNA replication as well as those encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters. Cbei_2134 and Cbei_2135 encoding alkyl hydroperoxide reductases are thought to be involved in antibacterial and adaptation mechanisms in C. beijerinckii in the presence of FA.