Therefore, organic media components were also subjected

to NMR analysis, but did not show characteristic chemical shifts for NeABL (Fig. S9). Even if one assumes that very low levels of NeABL (approximately one order of magnitude lower than glycine betaine) might have escaped NMR detection, the cells’ minimal requirements of compatible solutes, as estimated by Dötsch et al. (2008) from modeling growth and osmoregulation in halophilic bacteria, enabled us to conclude that as little as 0.1 g L−1 yeast Ku-0059436 research buy extract in GY medium could not possibly account for the observed levels of NeABL detected in cell extracts from B. cereus cultures (cell density: selleck compound 0.45 g L−1 dry biomass). Therefore, de novo synthesis of NeABL has been proven in B. cereus CECT 148T. Bacillus cereus CECT 148T is the first facultative aerobic microorganism to be shown to have the ability to synthesize the compatible solute NeABL under salt stress. It has also been pointed out that B. cereus (in contrast to other Bacilli) is unable to produce proline or ectoine as compatible solutes (Kuhlmann & Bremer, 2002; den Besten et al., 2009) and, therefore, its osmotic adaptation has so far been linked primarily with the uptake of compatible solutes. In

relation to its potential biosynthetic capacity, just glutamate had been reported as the major compatible solute in B. cereus DSM 31T (eq. ATCC 14579 and CECT 148T) when grown in Spizizen’s minimal medium (Kuhlmann & Bremer, 2002). As we were able to demonstrate that NeABL can be synthesized, at least under some growth conditions, this statement

needs to be reconsidered. β-Amino acids are relatively rare in biological structures (Thiruvengadam et al., Amisulpride 1983) and, specifically, the accumulation of β-amino acids (and derivates) for osmoadaptation. β-Glutamate and NeABL have only been detected in a few organisms to date and NeABL has been considered unique to methanogenic Archaea (Empadinhas & da Costa, 2008). It has been found in several species belonging to the Methanococcales, Methanomicrobiales and Methanosarcinales. Therefore, our data provide the first evidence of NeABL accumulation under salt stress in the bacterial domain. This ability appears to be widespread in GSB species, but by no means confined to this bacterial group. As a result of our bioinformatic approach, we are now also able to present the first aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacterium (B. cereus CECT 148T) able to synthesize and accumulate the β-amino acid-type compatible solute NeABL. This finding opens up the possibility of the biotechnological production of this rare and unexplored compatible solute.