Study on the intracellular adaptative mechanism of Acidithiobacillus caldus MTH-04 to NaCl stress

To understand the adaptive mechanism of bioleaching microorganism Acidithiobacillus caldus MTH-04, its physiology and metabolic changes at the transcriptional level were systemically studied. The results of growth curves, SO(4)(2−) content, pH and flow cytometry analyses indicated that the higher the NaCl concentration, the more the strain was inhibited. The transcriptome response of A. caldus to elevated NaCl concentrations included changes in carbon flux, elevated glutathione synthesis, alterations in cell wall and membrane composition, the down-regulation in genes involved in flagellar synthesis and rotation, the reduced energy generation through sulfur oxidation, and the up-regulation in genes involved in DNA and protein repair. Based on the transcriptome results, the effects of proline and glutathione on NaCl adaptation in A. caldus were analyzed separately. We found that either the exogenous addition of proline and glutathione or the intracellular overexpression of the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of these two substances contributed to the enhancement of the adaptive capacity of A. caldus under NaCl stress. The findings offer insight into the design of chloride-based techniques for the bioprocessing of minerals. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-023-02232-w.