Impact of high hydrostatic pressure on bacterial proteostasis
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Updated: Oct 13, 2026

Detection of the pH-dependent Activity of Escherichia coli Chaperone HdeB In Vitro and In Vivo
Published on: October 23, 2016
Elisa Gayán1, Sander K Govers1, Abram Aertsen1
1KU Leuven, Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M(2)S), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is an important factor that limits microbial growth in deep-sea ecosystems to specifically adapted piezophiles. Furthermore, HHP treatment is used as a novel food preservation technique because of its ability to inactivate pathogenic and spoilage bacteria while minimizing the loss of food quality. Disruption of protein homeostasis (i.e. proteostasis) as a result of HHP-induced conformational changes in ribosomes and proteins has been considered as one of the limiting factors for both microbial growth and survival under HHP conditions. This work therefore reviews the effects of sublethal (≤100MPa) and lethal (>100MPa) pressures on protein synthesis, structure, and functionality in bacteria. Furthermore, current understanding on the mechanisms adopted by piezophiles to maintain proteostasis in HHP environments and responses developed by atmospheric-adapted bacteria to protect or restore proteostasis after HHP exposure are discussed.
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