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Hyper-Resistance of the Bacillus licheniformis 24 Strain to Oxidative Stress Is Associated with Overexpression of Enzymatic Antioxidant System Genes

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Abstract—

At the International Space Station (ISS), artificial living conditions are created and maintained to satisfy human needs, these conditions are also favorable for the growth of numerous microorganisms, molds and bacteria. Among the microorganisms detected on the ISS are those from the automicroflora of crew members, and a significant number of spore-forming bacteria. In most cases, this group of microorganisms gives rise to strains that are able to colonize, grow and reproduce on interior materials and equipment of stations, and may be involved in biodestructive processes. These bacteria show increased resistance to various stress factors, for example, DNA-damaging and oxidizing agents. The molecular mechanisms of this resistance to stress are poorly understood. As part of the sanitary-microbiological monitoring of the ISS habitat, the Bacillus licheniformis 24 strain was isolated. Here, we demonstrated that this strain has increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide and Paraquat when compared to the “terrestrial” B. licheniformis B-10956 strain. B. licheniformis 24 overexpressed genes encoding enzymes that neutralize reactive oxygen species, such as KatX catalase and the superoxide dismutases SodA and SodF. Apart from this, in comparison with B. licheniformis B-10956, of B. licheniformis 24 cells had lower hydrogen sulfide production that was associated with sharply reduced expression of the cysIJ operon that encodes sulfite reductase. The results indicate that enzymatic antioxidant protective systems make a more significant contribution to the hyper-resistance of Bacillus strains to oxidizing agents than components of non-enzymatic systems, such as hydrogen sulfide.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work was partially performed using the equipment of the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of RAS Collective Use Center “Genome” (http://www.eimb.ru/ RUSSIAN_NEW/INSTITUTE/ccu_genome_c.php).

Funding

This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 17-74-30030) (Table 1, Figs. 3‒5), Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 18-29-07021) (Fig. 2), grant no. 075-15-2019-1660 from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Table 2), Programs of the Russian Academy of Sciences no. 01201367566 (Fig. 1) and no. 01201373016 (Table 3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    D. S. Karpov & V. L. Karpov

  2. State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation, Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, 123007, Moscow, Russia

    P. G. Osipova, A. I. Domashin, S. V. Poddubko & N. D. Novikova

  3. Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098, Moscow, Russia

    N. B. Polyakov, A. I. Solovyev, M. V. Zubasheva & V. G. Zhukhovitsky

  4. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334, Moscow, Russia

    N. B. Polyakov

  5. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    V. G. Zhukhovitsky

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  1. D. S. Karpov
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Karpov, D.S., Osipova, P.G., Domashin, A.I. et al. Hyper-Resistance of the Bacillus licheniformis 24 Strain to Oxidative Stress Is Associated with Overexpression of Enzymatic Antioxidant System Genes. Mol Biol 54, 757–768 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026893320050040

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