Compatible solutes: Thermodynamic properties and biological impact of ectoines and prolines.

Ectoines: a New Type of Compatible Solutes with Great Commercial Potential

Understanding the interplay of carbon and nitrogen supply for ectoines production and metabolic overflow in high density cultures of Chromohalobacter salexigens

BACKGROUND The halophilic bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens has been proposed as promising cell factory for the production of the compatible solutes ectoine and hydroxyectoine. This bacterium has evolved metabolic adaptations to efficiently grow under high salt concentrations by accumulating ectoines as compatible solutes. However, metabolic overflow, which is a major drawback for the effic...

Introducing ectoine as compatible solute: biosynthetic pathway, production and applications

Halophilic microorganisms cope with environmental stresses by producing and accumulating compatible solutes. Ectoine is one of the most important members of compatible solutes which have extra protective properties compared to other compatible solutes. Ectoine attracts several scientific and commercial attention because of their multiple industrial applications. This brief review presents appli...

With a pinch of extra salt—Did predatory protists steal genes from their food?

The cellular adjustment of Bacteria and Archaea to high-salinity habitats is well studied and has generally been classified into one of two strategies. These are to accumulate high levels either of ions (the "salt-in" strategy) or of physiologically compliant organic osmolytes, the compatible solutes (the "salt-out" strategy). Halophilic protists are ecophysiological important inhabitants of sa...

Unravelling the adaptation responses to osmotic and temperature stress in Chromohalobacter salexigens, a bacterium with broad salinity tolerance

Chromohalobacter salexigens, a Gammaproteobacterium belonging to the family Halomonadaceae, shows a broad salinity range for growth. Osmoprotection is achieved by the accumulation of compatible solutes either by transport (betaine, choline) or synthesis (mainly ectoine and hydroxyectoine). Ectoines can play additional roles as nutrients and, in the case of hydroxyectoine, in thermotolerance. A ...