Differentiation of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis Using Genome-Guided MALDI-TOF MS Based on Variations in Ribosomal Proteins

Minling Chen; Xianhu Wei; Junhui Zhang; Huan Zhou; Nuo Chen; Juan Wang; Ying Feng; Shubo Yu; Jumei Zhang; Shi Wu; Qinghua Ye; Rui Pang; Yu Ding; Qingping Wu

doi:10.3390/microorganisms10050918

Microorganisms (Apr 2022)

Differentiation of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis Using Genome-Guided MALDI-TOF MS Based on Variations in Ribosomal Proteins

Minling Chen,
Xianhu Wei,
Junhui Zhang,
Huan Zhou,
Nuo Chen,
Juan Wang,
Ying Feng,
Shubo Yu,
Jumei Zhang,
Shi Wu,
Qinghua Ye,
Rui Pang,
Yu Ding,
Qingping Wu

Affiliations

Minling Chen: School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xianhu Wei: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Junhui Zhang: Department of Food Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Huan Zhou: Department of Food Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Nuo Chen: Department of Food Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Juan Wang: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Ying Feng: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Shubo Yu: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Jumei Zhang: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Shi Wu: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Qinghua Ye: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Rui Pang: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Yu Ding: Department of Food Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Qingping Wu: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10050918
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 5
p. 918

Abstract

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Bacillus cereus and B. thuringiensis are closely related species that are relevant to foodborne diseases and biopesticides, respectively. Unambiguous differentiation of these two species is crucial for bacterial taxonomy. As genome analysis offers an objective but time-consuming classification of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis, in the present study, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was used to accelerate this process. By combining in silico genome analysis and MALDI-TOF MS measurements, four species-specific peaks of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis were screened and identified. The species-specific peaks of B. cereus were m/z 3211, 6427, 9188, and 9214, and the species-specific peaks of B. thuringiensis were m/z 3218, 6441, 9160, and 9229. All the above peaks represent ribosomal proteins, which are conserved and consistent with the phylogenetic relationship between B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. The specificity of the peaks was robustly verified using common foodborne pathogens. Thus, we concluded that genome-guided MALDI-TOF MS allows high-throughput differentiation of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis and provides a framework for differentiating other closely related species.

Published in Microorganisms

ISSN: 2076-2607 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms

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