Co-Culture of Acinetobacter johnsonii and Shewanella putrefaciens contributes to ABC transporter that impacts cold adaption in aquatic food storage environment

Abstract

Abstract Background: Acinetobacter johnsonii and Shewanella putrefaciens were identified as specific spoilage organisms in aquatic food. The interactions among specific spoilage organisms under cold stress have a significant impact on the assembly of microbial communities, which play crucial roles in spoilage and cold adaptation processes. The co-culture of Acinetobacter johnsonii and Shewanella putrefaciens under cold stress was determined at protein and metabolism levels, which remain largely unknown, leading to a poor understanding of the interactions between A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens in the mediated cold adaptation mechanism. Results The results of 4D-quantitative proteomic analysis showed that co-culture of A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens responds to low temperatures through ABC transporter proteins, resulting in phospholipid transport and inner membrane components. Based on KEGG enrichment analysis, SapA and FtsX proteins were significantly up-regulated, while LolC, LolD, LolE, PotD, PotA, PotB, PotC proteins were significantly down-regulated, respectively. Furthermore, data from metabolomeassays revealed that metabolites of Glutathione, Spermidine/Putrescin were significantly up-regulated, while metabolites of Arginine/Lysine/Ornithine were significantly down-regulated involved in ABC transporter metabolism. The co-culture of A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens under cold stress significantly increased the activities of Alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and ATPase, resulting in substantial changes in membrane properties in response to cold stress. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) results showed that co-culture in A. johnsoniiand S. putrefaciens surface combined with the presence of the leakage of intracellular contents, suggesting that the bacteria was severely damaged and wrinkled to absorb metabolic nutrients and adapt to cold temperatures. Conclusions: Our study sheds new light on the significance of co-culturing A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens under cold stress, as evidenced by proteomic and metabolomic analyses, as well as ultramicroscopic morphology. Based on the co-culture of A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens, the ABC transporter exhibited the ability to enhance cold adaptation and facilitate microbial protein and metabolic interactions in the aquatic food storage environment.