Effect of hyper-salt stress on the heat resistance of a halotolerant Brevibacterium sp. JCM6894

The heat resistance of Brevibacterium sp. JCM6894 was examined as a function of externally added NaCl concentrations. About a 5-log cycle reduction of the viable cell numbers was observed to result from heat treatment for 30 min at 47°C in the absence of NaCl. When the cells were heated in the buffer containing 2 M NaCl, the viability was maintained within less than 1-log cycle reduction after incubation for 30 min at 56°C. During the heat treatment for 30 min at 47°C in the presence of 2 M NaCl, Na⁺ and K⁺ ions in the cells increased and decreased by 13 and 26 μg ions per mg of cell protein, respectively. Under this condition, the amount of free amino acids in the cells changed little except for glutamate and hydroxyproline, which were reduced by 72 and 43 nmol per mg cell protein, respectively. These results indicate that the salt stress itself and Na⁺ ions existing in the cytoplasm are more important factors than in vivo protein synthesis for preventing the thermal death of the resting cells of this strain.