Figure 1

Diagrammatic representation of the main stress responses to acid pH and bile salt in bifidobacteria. (1) Conjugated bile acids enter the bacterial cytoplasm and are cleaved by BSH (bile salt hydolase) (2) releasing one amino acid and one de-conjugated bile acid moiety. (3) De-conjugated bile acid can also enter the cell by passive diffusion and becomes deprotonated (4). (5) Ionized bile salts are non-permeable and are excreted by the action of certain transporters e.g. Ctr (cholate transporter) of Bifidobacterium longum. (6) Synthesis of molecular chaperones is also increased and a shift in fatty acid composition of cell membrane can occur (7). Exposure to acid pH or bile salt deprotonation results in acidification of the cytoplasm (8). This can be counteracted by the production of ammonia from glutamine deamination (9) or pumping of protons from the cell by the F₁F₀-ATPase (10). ATP required for driving these systems is generated through glycolysis (11) (reproduced from Sanchez et al. [138]).