AraR Transcription Factor Affects the Sugar Metabolism and Acid Tolerance of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum

Microorganism employs sophisticated strategies to adapt to acidic environments, with transcription factors occupying pivotal nodes within their hierarchical regulatory networks. In this study, we performed functional characterization of the AraR transcription factor LP_RS14895 via integrated multiomics approaches. RNA sequencing revealed 40 acid-responsive targets that were enriched in pathways related to pentose/glucuronate interconversions and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. A genome-wide binding analysis via DAP-seq identified 1279 interaction sites and the most significantly enriched motif is “ARCCMATMAHC”. The results revealed that AraR plays a crucial role in regulating acid tolerance and metabolizable sugar (including arabinose, glucose, fructose, ribose, mannose, and trehalose). Overall, these findings offer mechanistic insights into microbial stress responses and provide a valuable method for addressing inhibitory processes of carbohydrate metabolizability under high-acid conditions.