A proteomic approach to cold acclimation of Staphylococcus aureus CECT 976 grown at room and human body temperatures

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogenic microorganism that has been associated with serious infection problems in different fields, from food to clinic. In the present study, we have taken into account that the main reservoirs of this microorganism are the human body and some parts of food processing plants, which have normal temperatures of around 37 and 25 °C, respectively. It can be expected that S. aureus must acclimate its metabolism to colder temperatures before growing in food matrices. Since temperature abuse for foods occurs at approximately 12 °C, it is expected that S. aureus must acclimate its metabolism to colder temperatures before growing in food. For this reason, we have performed a proteomic comparison between exponential- and stationary-phase cultures of S. aureus CECT 976 acclimated to 12 °C after growing at 25 °C or 37 °C. The analysis led to the identification of two different protein patterns associated with cold acclimation, denominated pattern A and pattern B. The first was characteristic of cultures at stationary phase of growth, grown at 25 °C and acclimated to 12 °C. The second appeared in the rest of experimental cases. Pattern A was distinguished by the presence of glycolytic proteins, whereas pattern B was differentiated by the presence of general stress and regulatory proteins. Pattern A was related through physiological experiments with a cross-resistance to acid pH, whereas pattern B conferred resistance to nisin. This prompted us to conclude that both molecular strategies could be valid, in vivo, for the process of acclimation of S. aureus to cold temperatures.