AI-2E Family Transporter Protein in Lactobacillus acidophilus Exhibits AI-2 Exporter Activity and Relate With Intestinal Juice Resistance of the Strain
Xiefei Li, Xiankang Fan, Zihang Shi, Jue Xu, Yingying Cao, Tao Zhang, Daodong Pan
Abstract
The function of the autoinducer-2 exporters (AI-2E) family transporter protein of Lactobacillus acidophilus is still unclear. The phylogenetic analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the AI-2E protein of the L. acidophilus CICC 6074 strain and other AI-2E family members. Escherichia coli KNabc strain was used to verify whether the protein has Na + (Li + )/H + antiporter activity. The AI-2E protein overexpression strain was constructed by using the pMG36e expression vector, and the overexpression efficiency was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. The vitality and AI-2 activity of L. acidophilus CICC 6074 strains were determined. The results showed that the AI-2E protein of Lactobacillus formed a single branch on the phylogenetic tree and was closer to the AI-2E family members whose function was AI-2 exporter group I. The expression of AI-2E protein in the E. coli KNabc strain did not recover the resistance of the bacteria to the saline environment. Overexpression of AI-2E protein in L. acidophilus CICC 6074 could promote the AI-2 secretion of L. acidophilus CICC 6074 strain and enhance their survival ability in intestinal juice.