Systematic elucidation of independently modulated genes in Lactobacillus plantarum reveals a trade-off between secondary and primary metabolism

Abstract

Lactobacillus plantarum is a probiotic bacteria widely used in food and health industries, but its gene regulatory information is limited in existing databases, which impedes the research of its physiology and its applications. To obtain a better understanding of the transcriptional regulatory network of L. plantarum, independent component analysis (ICA) of its transcriptomes was used to derive 45 sets of independently modulated genes (iModulons). Those iModulons were annotated for associated transcription factors (TFs) and functional pathways, and active iModulons in response to different growth conditions were identified and characterized in detail. Eventually, the analysis of iModulon activities reveals a trade-off between regulatory activities of secondary and primary metabolism in L. plantarum.