Abstract
A conventional plate count is the most commonly employed method to estimate the number of living bacteria in environmental samples. In fact, judging the level of viable culture by plate count is limited, because it is often several orders of magnitude less than the number of living bacteria actually present. Most of the bacteria are in “viable but non-culturable” (VBNC) state, whose cells are intact and alive and can resuscitate when surrounding conditions are more favorable. The most exciting recent development in resuscitating VBNC bacteria is a bacterial cytokine, namely, the resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf), secreted by Micrococcus luteus, which promotes the resuscitation and growth of high G+C Gram-positive organisms, including some species of the genus Mycobacterium. However, most of studies deal with VBNC bacteria only from the point of view of medicine and epidemiology. It is therefore of great significance to research whether these VBNC state bacteria also possess some useful environmental capabilities, such as degradation, flocculation, etc. Further studies are needed to elucidate the possible environmental role of the VBNC bacteria, rather than only considering their role as potential pathogens from the point view of epidemiology and public health. We have studied the resuscitation of these VBNC bacteria in polluted environments by adding culture supernatant containing Rpf from M. luteus, and it was found that, as a huge microbial resource, VBNC bacteria could provide important answers to dealing with existing problems of environmental pollution. This mini-review will provide new insight for considering the potentially environmental functions of VBNC bacteria.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abraham WR, Nogales B, Golyshin PN, Pieper DH, Timmis KN (2002) Polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading microbial communities in soils and sediments. Curr Opin Microbiol 5:246–253
Artz RRE, Avery LM, Jones DL, Killham K (2006) Potential pitfalls in the quantitative molecular detection of Escherichia coli O157: H7 in environmental matrices. Can J Microbiol 52:482–488
Asakura H, Kawamoto K, Haishima Y, Igimi S, Yamamoto S, Makino S (2008) Differential expression of the outer membrane protein W (OmpW) stress response in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 corresponds to the viable but non-culturable state. Res Microbiol 159:709–717
Atack JM, Kelly DJ (2009) Oxidative stress in Campylobacter jejuni: responses, resistance and regulation. Future Microbiol 4:677–690
Bacosa HP, Suto K, Inoue C (2012) Bacterial community dynamics during the preferential degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons by a microbial consortium. Int Biodeter Biodegr 74:109–115
Bakken LR, Olsen RA (1987) The relationship between cell-size and viability of soil bacteria. Microbial Ecol 13:103–114
Biketov S, Mukamolova GV, Potapov V, Gilenkov E, Vostroknutova G, Kell DB, Young M, Kaprelyants AS (2000) Culturability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells isolated from murine macrophages: a bacterial growth factor promotes recovery. FEMS Immunol Med Mic 29:233–240
Biondo R, Silva FA, Vicente EJ, Souza Sarkis JE, Schenberg ACG (2012) Synthetic phytochelatin surface display in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 for enhanced metals bioremediation. Environ Sci Technol 46:8325–8332
Bukh AS, Hansen NE, Roslev P (2012) Detection and persistence of clinical Escherichia coli in drinking water evaluated by a rapid enzyme assay and qPCR. Adv Microbiol 2:252–262
Chen H, Fu L, Luo L, Lu J, White WL, Hu Z (2012) Induction and resuscitation of the viable but nonculturable state in a cyanobacteria-lysing bacterium isolated from cyanobacterial bloom. Microbial Ecol 63:64–73
Chmielewski RAN, Frank JF (1995) Formation of viable but nonculturable salmonella during starvation in chemically defined solutions. Lett Appl Microbiol 20:380–384
Chong TH, Wong FS, Fane AG (2008) The effect of imposed flux on biofouling in reverse osmosis: role of concentration polarisation and biofilm enhanced osmotic pressure phenomena. J Membrane Sci 325:840–850
DeBruyn JM, Mead TJ, Wilhelm SW, Sayler GS (2009) PAH biodegradative genotypes in Lake Erie sediments: evidence for broad geographical distribution of pyrene-degrading mycobacteria. Environ Sci Technol 43:3467–3473
Ding LX (2004) Studies on the isolation of viable but non-culturable bacteria and the phylogenetic analysis of the genus Aquaspirillum. Dissertation, The University of Tokyo, Ph. D
Ding LX, Yokota A (2010) Curvibacter fontana sp. Nov., a microaerobia bacteria isolated from well water. J Gen Appl Microbiol 56:267–271
Ding LX, Hirose T, Yokota A (2007) Amycolatopsis echigonensis sp. nov. and Amycolatopsis niigatensis sp. nov., novel actinomycetes isolated from a filtration substrate. Int J Syst Evol Micr 57:1747–1751
Ding LX, Hirose T, Yokota A (2009) Four novel Arthrobacter species isolated from filtration substrate. Int J Syst Evol Micr 59:856–862
Ding LX, Su XM, Yokota A (2011) Research progress of VBNC bacteria. Acta Microbiol Sin 51:858–862
Ding LX, Zhang PH, Hong HC, Lin HJ, Yokota A (2012) Cloning and expression of Micrococcus luteus IAM 14879 Rpf and its role in the recovery of the VBNC state in Rhodococcus sp. DS471. Acta Microbiol Sin 52:77–89
Dinu LD, Bach S (2011) Induction of viable but nonculturable Escherichia coli O157: H7 in the phyllosphere of lettuce: a food safety risk factor. App Environ Microbiol 77:8295–8302
Divol B, Du Toit M, Duckitt E (2012) Surviving in the presence of sulphur dioxide: strategies developed by wine yeasts. Appl Microbiol Biotech 95:601–613
Downing KJ, Betts JC, Young DI, McAdam RA, Kelly F, Young M, Mizrahi V (2004) Global expression profiling of strains harbouring null mutations reveals that the five rpf-like genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis show functional redundancy. Tuberculosis 84:167–179
Dwivedi HP, Jaykus LA (2011) Detection of pathogens in foods: the current state-of-the-art and future directions. Crit Rev Microbiol 37:40–63
Freestone PPE, Haigh RD, Williams PH, Lyte M (2006) Stimulation of bacterial growth by heat-stable, norepinephrine-induced autoinducers. FEMS Microbiol Lett 172:53–60
Ganzert L, Lipski A, Hubberten H, Wagner D (2011) The impact of different soil parameters on the community structure of dominant bacteria from nine different soils located on Livingston Island, South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctica. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 76:476–491
González M, Hänninen ML (2012) Effect of temperature and antimicrobial resistance on survival of Campylobacter jejuni in well water: application of the Weibull model. J Appl Microbiol 113:284–293
Hajdu R, Slaveykova VI (2012) Cd and Pb removal from contaminated environment by metal resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34: importance of the complexation and competition effects. Environ Chem 9:389–398
Hamblin MR, Viveiros J, Yang C, Ahmadi A, Ganz RA, Tolkoff MJ (2005) Helicobacter pylori accumulates photoactive porphyrins and is killed by visible light. Antimicrob Agents Ch 49:2822–2827
Hartmann M, Barsch A, Niehaus K, Pühler A, Tauch A, Kalinowski J (2004) The glycosylated cell surface protein Rpf2, containing a resuscitation-promoting factor motif, is involved in intercellular communication of Corynebacterium glutamicum. Arch Microbiol 182:299–312
Hassanshahian M, Emtiazi G, Cappello S (2011) Isolation and characterization of crude-oil-degrading bacteria from the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Mar Pollut Bull 64:7–12
Hett EC, Rubin EJ (2008) Bacterial growth and cell division: a mycobacterial perspective. Microbiol Mol Biol R 72:126–156
Hett EC, Chao MC, Steyn AJ, Fortune SM, Deng LL, Rubin EJ (2007) A partner for the resuscitation-promoting factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mol Microbiol 66:658–668
Hett EC, Chao MC, Deng LL, Rubin EJ (2008) A mycobacterial enzyme essential for cell division synergizes with resuscitation-promoting factor. PLoS Pathog 4:e1000001
Jin D, Bai Z, Chang D, Hoefel D, Jin B, Wang P, Wei DB, Zhang GQ (2012) Biodegradation of di-butyl phthalate by an isolated Gordonia sp. strain QH-11: genetic identification and degradation kinetics. J Hazard Mater 221:80–85
Kana BD, Mizrahi V (2009) Resuscitation-promoting factors as lytic enzymes for bacterial growth and signaling. FEMS Immunol Med Mic 58:39–50
Kaprelyants AS, Kell DB (1993) Dormancy in stationary-phase cultures of Micrococcus-luteus flow cytometric analysis of starvation and resuscitation. Appl Environ Microbiol 59:3187–3196
Kaprelyants AS, Gottschal JC, Kell DB (1993) Dormancy in non-sporulating bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 104:271–286
Lothigius Å, Sjöling Å, Svennerholm AM, Bölin I (2010) Survival and gene expression of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli during long-term incubation in sea water and freshwater. J Appl Microbiol 108:1441–1449
Luna GM, Dell Anno A, Pietrangeli B, Danovaro R (2012) A new molecular approach based on qPCR for the quantification of fecal bacteria in contaminated marine sediments. J Biotechnol 157:446–453
Mukamolova GV, Kaprelyants AS, Young DI, Young M, Kell DB (1998) A bacterial cytokine. P Natl Acad Sci USA 95:8916–8921
Mukamolova GV, Murzin AG, Salina EG, Demina GR, Kell DB, Kaprelyants AS, Young M (2005) Muralytic activity of Micrococcus luteus Rpf and its relationship to physiological activity in promoting bacterial growth and resuscitation. Mol Microbiol 59:84–98
Nikitushkin VD, Demina GR, Kaprelyants AS (2011) Effect of secreted Rpf protein on intracellular contacts in Micrococcus luteus and Mycobacterium smegmatis cultures. Microbiol 80:143–149
Oliver JD (1995) The viable but non-culturable state in the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 133:203–208
Oliver JD (2005) The viable but nonculturable state in bacteria. J Microbiol 43:93–100
Oliver JD (2010) Recent findings on the viable but nonculturable state in pathogenic bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 34:415–425
Panutdaporn N, Kawamoto K, Asakura H, Makino SI (2006) Resuscitation of the viable but non-culturable state of Salmonella enterica serovar Oranienburg by recombinant resuscitation-promoting factor derived from Salmonella Typhimurium strain LT2. Int J Food Microbiol 106:241–247
Pinto D, Almeida V, Almeida Santos M, Chambel L (2011) Resuscitation of Escherichia coli VBNC cells depends on a variety of environmental or chemical stimuli. J Appl Microbiol 110:1601–1611
Reissbrodt R, Rienaecker I, Romanova JM, Freestone PPE, Haigh RD, Lyte M, Tschäpe H, Williams PH (2002) Resuscitation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli from the viable but nonculturable state by heat-stable enterobacterial autoinducer. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:4788–4794
Reuter M, Mallett A, Pearson BM, van Vliet AHM (2010) Biofilm formation by Campylobacter jejuni is increased under aerobic conditions. Appl Environ Microbiol 76:2122–2128
Rezaeinejad S, Ivanov V (2011) Heterogeneity of Escherichia coli population by respiratory activity and membrane potential of cells during growth and long-term starvation. Microbiol Res 166:129–135
Riano F, Arroyo L, Paris S, Rojas M, Friggen AH, van Meijgaarden KE, Franken KLMC, Ottenhoff THM, Garcoa LF, Barrera LF (2012) T cell responses to DosR and Rpf proteins in actively and latently infected individuals from Colombia. Tuberculosis 92:148–159
Senoh M, Ghosh-Banerjee J, Ramamurthy T, Colwell RR, Miyoshi S, Nair GB, Takeda Y (2012) Conversion of viable but nonculturable enteric bacteria to culturable by co-culture with eukaryotic cells. Microbiol Immunol 56:342–345
Serpaggi V, Remize F, Recorbet G, Gaudot-Dumas E, Sequeira-Le Grand A, Alexandre H (2012) Characterization of the “viable but nonculturable” (VBNC) state in the wine spoilage yeast Brettanomyces. Food Microbiol 30:438–447
Shleeva MO, Bagramyan K, Telkov MV, Mukamolova GV, Young M, Kell DB, Kaprelyants AS (2002) Formation and resuscitation of ‘non-culturable’cells of Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in prolonged stationary phase. Microbiol 148:1581–1591
Siegumfeldt H, Arneborg N (2011) Assessment of survival of food-borne microorganisms in the food chain by fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy. Trends Food Sci Tech 22:S3–S10
Signoretto C, Canepari P (2008) Towards more accurate detection of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria in waters. Curr Opin Biotech 19:248–253
Sperandio V, Torres AG, Jarvis B, Nataro JP, Kaper JB (2003) Bacteria–host communication: the language of hormones. Proc Natl Acada Sci USA 100:8951–8956
Su XM, Shen XY, Ding LX, Yokota A (2011a) Study on the flocculability of the Arthrobacter sp., an actinomycete resuscitated from the VBNC state. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 28:91–97
Su XM, Zhang HF, Ding LX, Shen XY, Yokota A (2011b) Optimized culture medium and culture conditions for multiple bioflocculant-producing microorganisms. J Huazhong Normal Univ (Nat Sci) 45:450–455
Su XM, Zhang HF, Shen XY, Ding LX, Yokota A (2012) Characteristics of MAC37 produced by multiple bioflocculant-producing microorganisms and its application in adhesive wastewater. Res Environ Sci 25:340–344
Trevors JT, Bej AK, Mojib N, van Elsas JD, Van Overbeek L (2012) Bacterial gene expression at low temperatures. Extremophiles 16:167–176
Wyckoff TJ, Taylor JA, Salama NR (2012) Beyond growth: novel functions for bacterial cell wall hydrolases. Trends Microbiol 20:540–547
Xu HS, Roberts N, Singleton FL, Attwell RW, Grimes DJ, Colwell RR (1982) Survival and viability of nonculturable Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae in the estuarine and marine environment. Microbial Ecol 8:313–323
Zhang DC, Mörtelmaier C, Margesin R (2012) Characterization of the bacterial archaeal diversity in hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. Sci Total Environ 421–422:184–196
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41271334, 81001475), and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2009AA063104, 2012AA06A203). We thank Prof. Akira Yokota retired from the University of Tokyo, for his guidance in our work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Su, X., Chen, X., Hu, J. et al. Exploring the potential environmental functions of viable but non-culturable bacteria. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 29, 2213–2218 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-013-1390-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-013-1390-5