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Transcriptome profiling of Zymomonas mobilis under furfural stress

  • Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics
  • Published:
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Abstract

Furfural from lignocellulosic hydrolysates is the prevalent inhibitor to microorganisms during cellulosic ethanol production, but the molecular mechanisms of tolerance to this inhibitor in Zymomonas mobilis are still unclear. In this study, genome-wide transcriptional responses to furfural were investigated in Z. mobilis using microarray analysis. We found that 433 genes were differentially expressed in response to furfural. Furfural up- or down-regulated genes related to cell wall/membrane biogenesis, metabolism, and transcription. However, furfural has a subtle negative effect on Entner–Doudoroff pathway mRNAs. Our results revealed that furfural had effects on multiple aspects of cellular metabolism at the transcriptional level and that membrane might play important roles in response to furfural. This research has provided insights into the molecular response to furfural in Z. mobilis, and it will be helpful to construct more furfural-resistant strains for cellulosic ethanol production.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31000028), Sichuan Key Technology R&D Program (Grant No. 2009NZ00045), and Sci-tech Fund Project of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2009 and 2011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomass Energy Technology Research Centre, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture, Section 4-13, Renming Nanlu, Chengdu, 610041, China

    Ming-xiong He, Bo Wu, Zong-xia Shui, Qi-chun Hu, Wen-guo Wang, Fu-rong Tan, Xiao-yu Tang, Qi-li Zhu, Ke Pan, Qing Li & Xiao-hong Su

  2. Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Ming-xiong He & Qi-chun Hu

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  1. Ming-xiong He
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  2. Bo Wu
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He, Mx., Wu, B., Shui, Zx. et al. Transcriptome profiling of Zymomonas mobilis under furfural stress. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 95, 189–199 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4155-4

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