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Yang X, Zhang J, Zhu J, Yang R, Tong Y. Molecular insights into FucR transcription factor to control the metabolism of L-fucose in Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis. Microbiol Res 2024; 283:127709. [PMID: 38593579 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis commonly colonizes the human gut and is capable of metabolizing L-fucose, which is abundant in the gut. Multiple studies have focused on the mechanisms of L-fucose utilization by B. longum subsp. infantis, but the regulatory pathways governing the expression of these catabolic processes are still unclear. In this study, we have conducted a structural and functional analysis of L-fucose metabolism transcription factor FucR derived from B. longum subsp. infantis Bi-26. Our results indicated that FucR is a L-fucose-sensitive repressor with more α-helices, fewer β-sheets, and β-turns. Transcriptional analysis revealed that FucR displays weak negative self-regulation, which is counteracted in the presence of L-fucose. Isothermal titration calorimetry indicated that FucR has a 2:1 stoichiometry with L-fucose. The key amino acid residues for FucR binding L-fucose are Asp280 and Arg331, with mutation of Asp280 to Ala resulting in a decrease in the affinity between FucR and L-fucose with the Kd value from 2.58 to 11.68 μM, and mutation of Arg331 to Ala abolishes the binding ability of FucR towards L-fucose. FucR specifically recognized and bound to a 20-bp incomplete palindrome sequence (5'-ACCCCAATTACGAAAATTTTT-3'), and the affinity of the L-fucose-loaded FucR for the DNA fragment was lower than apo-FucR. The results provided new insights into the regulating L-fucose metabolism by B. longum subsp. infantis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Yang
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Jing Zhu
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Ruijin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Yanjun Tong
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
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2
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Conteville LC, da Silva JV, Andrade BGN, Cardoso TF, Bruscadin JJ, de Oliveira PSN, Mourão GB, Coutinho LL, Palhares JCP, Berndt A, de Medeiros SR, Regitano LCDA. Rumen and fecal microbiomes are related to diet and production traits in Bos indicus beef cattle. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1282851. [PMID: 38163076 PMCID: PMC10754987 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1282851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Ruminants harbor a complex microbial community within their gastrointestinal tract, which plays major roles in their health and physiology. Brazil is one of the largest producers of beef in the world and more than 90% of the beef cattle herds are composed of pure and crossbred Nelore (Bos indicus). Despite its importance to the Brazilian economy and human feeding, few studies have characterized the Nelore microbiome. Therefore, using shotgun metagenomics, we investigated the impact of diet on the composition and functionality of the Nelore microbiome, and explored the associations between specific microbial taxa and their functionality with feed efficiency and methane emission. Results The ruminal microbiome exhibited significantly higher microbial diversity, distinctive taxonomic profile and variations in microbial functionality compared to the fecal microbiome, highlighting the distinct contributions of the microbiomes of these environments. Animals subjected to different dietary treatments exhibited significant differences in their microbiomes' archaeal diversity and in the abundance of 89 genera, as well as in the functions associated with the metabolism of components of each diet. Moreover, depending on the diet, feed-efficient animals and low methane emitters displayed higher microbial diversity in their fecal microbiome. Multiple genera were associated with an increase or decrease of the phenotypes. Upon analyzing the functions attributed to these taxa, we observed significant differences on the ruminal taxa associated with feed efficient and inefficient cattle. The ruminal taxa that characterized feed efficient cattle stood out for having significantly more functions related to carbohydrate metabolism, such as monosaccharides, di-/oligosaccharides and amino acids. The taxa associated with methane emission had functions associated with methanogenesis and the production of substrates that may influence methane production, such as hydrogen and formate. Conclusion Our findings highlight the significant role of diet in shaping Nelore microbiomes and how its composition and functionality may affect production traits such as feed efficiency and methane emission. These insights provide valuable support for the implementation of novel feeding and biotechnological strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juliana Virginio da Silva
- Embrapa Southeast Livestock, São Carlos, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | | | - Jennifer Jessica Bruscadin
- Embrapa Southeast Livestock, São Carlos, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Priscila Silva Neubern de Oliveira
- Embrapa Southeast Livestock, São Carlos, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Gerson Barreto Mourão
- Department of Animal Science, Center for Functional Genomics, University of São Paulo/ESALQ, Piracicaba, Brazil
| | - Luiz Lehmann Coutinho
- Department of Animal Science, Center for Functional Genomics, University of São Paulo/ESALQ, Piracicaba, Brazil
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3
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Shiver AL, Sun J, Culver R, Violette A, Wynter C, Nieckarz M, Mattiello SP, Sekhon PK, Friess L, Carlson HK, Wong D, Higginbottom S, Weglarz M, Wang W, Knapp BD, Guiberson E, Sanchez J, Huang PH, Garcia PA, Buie CR, Good B, DeFelice B, Cava F, Scaria J, Sonnenburg J, Sinderen DV, Deutschbauer AM, Huang KC. A mutant fitness compendium in Bifidobacteria reveals molecular determinants of colonization and host-microbe interactions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.29.555234. [PMID: 37693407 PMCID: PMC10491234 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.29.555234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Bifidobacteria commonly represent a dominant constituent of human gut microbiomes during infancy, influencing nutrition, immune development, and resistance to infection. Despite interest as a probiotic therapy, predicting the nutritional requirements and health-promoting effects of Bifidobacteria is challenging due to major knowledge gaps. To overcome these deficiencies, we used large-scale genetics to create a compendium of mutant fitness in Bifidobacterium breve (Bb). We generated a high density, randomly barcoded transposon insertion pool in Bb, and used this pool to determine Bb fitness requirements during colonization of germ-free mice and chickens with multiple diets and in response to hundreds of in vitro perturbations. To enable mechanistic investigation, we constructed an ordered collection of insertion strains covering 1462 genes. We leveraged these tools to improve models of metabolic pathways, reveal unexpected host- and diet-specific requirements for colonization, and connect the production of immunomodulatory molecules to growth benefits. These resources will greatly reduce the barrier to future investigations of this important beneficial microbe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L. Shiver
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Jiawei Sun
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Rebecca Culver
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Arvie Violette
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Charles Wynter
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Marta Nieckarz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, Umeå, SE-90187, Sweden
| | - Samara Paula Mattiello
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
- College of Mathematics and Science, The University of Tennessee Southern, Pulaski TN 38478, USA
| | - Prabhjot Kaur Sekhon
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74074, USA
| | - Lisa Friess
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Hans K. Carlson
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Daniel Wong
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Steven Higginbottom
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Meredith Weglarz
- Stanford Shared FACS Facility, Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Weigao Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Emma Guiberson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Po-Hsun Huang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Energy and Microsystems Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Paulo A. Garcia
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Energy and Microsystems Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Cullen R. Buie
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Energy and Microsystems Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin Good
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, Umeå, SE-90187, Sweden
| | - Joy Scaria
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74074, USA
| | - Justin Sonnenburg
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Douwe Van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Adam M. Deutschbauer
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kerwyn Casey Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158
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4
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Advances and challenges in interaction between heteroglycans and Bifidobacterium: Utilization strategies, intestinal health and future perspectives. Trends Food Sci Technol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2023.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
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5
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Arzamasov AA, Osterman AL. Milk glycan metabolism by intestinal bifidobacteria: insights from comparative genomics. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2022; 57:562-584. [PMID: 36866565 PMCID: PMC10192226 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2023.2182272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are early colonizers of the human neonatal gut and provide multiple health benefits to the infant, including inhibiting the growth of enteropathogens and modulating the immune system. Certain Bifidobacterium species prevail in the gut of breastfed infants due to the ability of these microorganisms to selectively forage glycans present in human milk, specifically human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and N-linked glycans. Therefore, these carbohydrates serve as promising prebiotic dietary supplements to stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria in the guts of children suffering from impaired gut microbiota development. However, the rational formulation of milk glycan-based prebiotics requires a detailed understanding of how bifidobacteria metabolize these carbohydrates. Accumulating biochemical and genomic data suggest that HMO and N-glycan assimilation abilities vary remarkably within the Bifidobacterium genus, both at the species and strain levels. This review focuses on the delineation and genome-based comparative analysis of differences in respective biochemical pathways, transport systems, and associated transcriptional regulatory networks, providing a foundation for genomics-based projection of milk glycan utilization capabilities across a rapidly growing number of sequenced bifidobacterial genomes and metagenomic datasets. This analysis also highlights remaining knowledge gaps and suggests directions for future studies to optimize the formulation of milk-glycan-based prebiotics that target bifidobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandr A Arzamasov
- Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andrei L Osterman
- Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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6
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Zhang S, Ma X, Yu H, Lu X, Liu J, Zhang L, Wang G, Ye J, Ning G. Silver(I) metal-organic framework-embedded polylactic acid electrospun fibrous membranes for efficient inhibition of bacteria. Dalton Trans 2022; 51:6673-6681. [PMID: 35411886 DOI: 10.1039/d1dt04234c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
With recent outbreaks of fatal strains of diseases and the emergency of antibiotic resistance, there is a pressing demand to discover bactericidal materials that can effectively reduce or prevent infections by pathogenic bacteria. Herein, silver(I) metal organic frameworks Ag2(HBTC) were embedded into biocompatible polylactic acid (PLA) fibrous membranes through an electrospinning process as an antibiotic-free material for effective bacterial killing. The as-synthesized Ag2(HBTC)/PLA composite membrane showed an inactivation efficiency of more than 99.9% against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) at a concentration of 200-250 mg L-1. Mechanistic investigation indicated that the steady release of Ag+ ions and ˙OH generation from the composites contributed to the efficient antibacterial activities through irreversible damage to the bacterial cell membranes. In-depth proteomic analysis demonstrated that Ag2(HBTC)/PLA exerted a biological effect towards bacterial cells through down-regulating functional proteins, thereby destroying the central biochemical pathways of the cellular energy metabolism process, reducing resistance to oxidative damage and inhibiting cell division. In general, this study shows a promising perspective on designing MOF/PLA membranes with broad-spectrum disinfection capability for potential environmental sterilization and public healthcare protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China
| | - Xiao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China
| | - Hailong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China
| | - Xinyi Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, PR China.
| | - Jianhui Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, PR China.
| | - Lihua Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, PR China.
| | - Guangyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China
| | - Junwei Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China
| | - Guiling Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, Liaoning, 116024, PR China
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7
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Kelly SM, Munoz-Munoz J, van Sinderen D. Plant Glycan Metabolism by Bifidobacteria. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:609418. [PMID: 33613480 PMCID: PMC7889515 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.609418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the genus Bifidobacterium, of which the majority have been isolated as gut commensals, are Gram-positive, non-motile, saccharolytic, non-sporulating, anaerobic bacteria. Many bifidobacterial strains are considered probiotic and therefore are thought to bestow health benefits upon their host. Bifidobacteria are highly abundant among the gut microbiota of healthy, full term, breast-fed infants, yet the relative average abundance of bifidobacteria tends to decrease as the human host ages. Because of the inverse correlation between bifidobacterial abundance/prevalence and health, there has been an increasing interest in maintaining, increasing or restoring bifidobacterial populations in the infant, adult and elderly gut. In order to colonize and persist in the gastrointestinal environment, bifidobacteria must be able to metabolise complex dietary and/or host-derived carbohydrates, and be resistant to various environmental challenges of the gut. This is not only important for the autochthonous bifidobacterial species colonising the gut, but also for allochthonous bifidobacteria provided as probiotic supplements in functional foods. For example, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum is a taxon associated with the metabolism of plant-derived poly/oligosaccharides in the adult diet, being capable of metabolising hemicellulose and various pectin-associated glycans. Many of these plant glycans are believed to stimulate the metabolism and growth of specific bifidobacterial species and are for this reason classified as prebiotics. In this review, bifidobacterial carbohydrate metabolism, with a focus on plant poly-/oligosaccharide degradation and uptake, as well as its associated regulation, will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M Kelly
- School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Jose Munoz-Munoz
- Microbial Enzymology Group, Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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8
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Comparative genomics and gene-trait matching analysis of Bifidobacterium breve from Chinese children. FOOD BIOSCI 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbio.2020.100631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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9
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Wong CB, Odamaki T, Xiao JZ. Insights into the reason of Human-Residential Bifidobacteria (HRB) being the natural inhabitants of the human gut and their potential health-promoting benefits. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:369-385. [PMID: 32319522 PMCID: PMC7326374 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of Bifidobacterium are among the first microbes to colonise the human gut, and certain species are recognised as the natural resident of human gut microbiota. Their presence in the human gut has been associated with health-promoting benefits and reduced abundance of this genus is linked with several diseases. Bifidobacterial species are assumed to have coevolved with their hosts and include members that are naturally present in the human gut, thus recognised as Human-Residential Bifidobacteria (HRB). The physiological functions of these bacteria and the reasons why they occur in and how they adapt to the human gut are of immense significance. In this review, we provide an overview of the biology of bifidobacteria as members of the human gut microbiota and address factors that contribute to the preponderance of HRB in the human gut. We highlight some of the important genetic attributes and core physiological traits of these bacteria that may explain their adaptive advantages, ecological fitness, and competitiveness in the human gut. This review will help to widen our understanding of one of the most important human commensal bacteria and shed light on the practical consideration for selecting bifidobacterial strains as human probiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chyn Boon Wong
- Next Generation Science Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., 5-1-83, Higashihara, Zama, Kanagawa, 252–8583 Japan
| | - Toshitaka Odamaki
- Next Generation Science Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., 5-1-83, Higashihara, Zama, Kanagawa, 252–8583 Japan
| | - Jin-zhong Xiao
- Next Generation Science Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., 5-1-83, Higashihara, Zama, Kanagawa, 252–8583 Japan
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10
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Abstract
Bacteroides genomes encode a large repertoire of proteins dedicated to the utilization of diverse plant polysaccharides and host glycans. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Glowacki et al. (2020) show that B. thetaiotaomicron can also extract the monosaccharide ribose from nucleosides and characterize proteins necessary for its utilization.
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11
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Glowacki RWP, Pudlo NA, Tuncil Y, Luis AS, Sajjakulnukit P, Terekhov AI, Lyssiotis CA, Hamaker BR, Martens EC. A Ribose-Scavenging System Confers Colonization Fitness on the Human Gut Symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in a Diet-Specific Manner. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 27:79-92.e9. [PMID: 31901520 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Efficient nutrient acquisition in the human gut is essential for microbial persistence. Although polysaccharides have been well-studied nutrients for the gut microbiome, other resources such as nucleic acids and nucleosides are less studied. We describe several ribose-utilization systems (RUSs) that are broadly represented in Bacteroidetes and appear to have diversified to access ribose from a variety of substrates. One Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron RUS variant is critical for competitive gut colonization in a diet-specific fashion. We used molecular genetics to probe the required functions of the system and the nature of the nutrient source(s) underlying this phenotype. Two RUS-encoded ribokinases were the only components required for this effect, presumably because they generate ribose-phosphate derivatives from products of an unlinked but essential nucleoside phosphorylase. Our results underscore the extensive mechanisms that gut symbionts have evolved to access nutrients and the potential for unexpected dependencies among systems that mediate colonization and persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W P Glowacki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Nicholas A Pudlo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yunus Tuncil
- Department of Food Science and Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Ana S Luis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peter Sajjakulnukit
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Anton I Terekhov
- Department of Food Science and Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Costas A Lyssiotis
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Bruce R Hamaker
- Department of Food Science and Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Eric C Martens
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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12
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Lanigan N, Kelly E, Arzamasov AA, Stanton C, Rodionov DA, van Sinderen D. Transcriptional control of central carbon metabolic flux in Bifidobacteria by two functionally similar, yet distinct LacI-type regulators. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17851. [PMID: 31780796 PMCID: PMC6882875 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54229-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria resident in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are subject to constantly changing environmental conditions, which require rapid adjustments in gene expression. Here, we show that two predicted LacI-type transcription factors (TFs), designated AraQ and MalR1, are involved in regulating the central, carbohydrate-associated metabolic pathway (the so-called phosphoketolase pathway or bifid shunt) of the gut commensal Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. These TFs appear to not only control transcription of genes involved in the bifid shunt and each other, but also seem to commonly and directly affect transcription of other TF-encoding genes, as well as genes related to uptake and metabolism of various carbohydrates. This complex and interactive network of AraQ/MalR1-mediated gene regulation provides previously unknown insights into the governance of carbon metabolism in bifidobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noreen Lanigan
- School of Microbiology & APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Emer Kelly
- School of Microbiology & APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Aleksandr A Arzamasov
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, United States.,A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Dmitry A Rodionov
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, United States.,A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology & APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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13
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Zhong H, Penders J, Shi Z, Ren H, Cai K, Fang C, Ding Q, Thijs C, Blaak EE, Stehouwer CDA, Xu X, Yang H, Wang J, Wang J, Jonkers DMAE, Masclee AAM, Brix S, Li J, Arts ICW, Kristiansen K. Impact of early events and lifestyle on the gut microbiota and metabolic phenotypes in young school-age children. MICROBIOME 2019; 7:2. [PMID: 30609941 PMCID: PMC6320620 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0608-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The gut microbiota evolves from birth and is in early life influenced by events such as birth mode, type of infant feeding, and maternal and infant antibiotics use. However, we still have a gap in our understanding of gut microbiota development in older children, and to what extent early events and pre-school lifestyle modulate the composition of the gut microbiota, and how this impinges on whole body metabolic regulation in school-age children. RESULTS Taking advantage of the KOALA Birth Cohort Study, a long-term prospective birth cohort in the Netherlands with extensive collection of high-quality host metadata, we applied shotgun metagenomics sequencing and systematically investigated the gut microbiota of children at 6-9 years of age. We demonstrated an overall adult-like gut microbiota in the 281 Dutch school-age children and identified 3 enterotypes dominated by the genera Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Bifidobacterium, respectively. Importantly, we found that breastfeeding duration in early life and pre-school dietary lifestyle correlated with the composition and functional competences of the gut microbiota in the children at school age. The correlations between pre-school dietary lifestyle and metabolic phenotypes exhibited a striking enterotype dependency. Thus, an inverse correlation between high dietary fiber consumption and low plasma insulin levels was only observed in individuals with the Bacteroides and Prevotella enterotypes, but not in Bifidobacterium enterotype individuals in whom the gut microbiota displayed overall lower microbial gene richness, alpha-diversity, functional potential for complex carbohydrate fermentation, and butyrate and succinate production. High total fat consumption and elevated plasma free fatty acid levels in the Bifidobacterium enterotype are associated with the co-occurrence of Streptococcus. CONCLUSIONS Our work highlights the persistent effects of breastfeeding duration and pre-school dietary lifestyle in affecting the gut microbiota in school-age children and reveals distinct compositional and functional potential in children according to enterotypes. The findings underscore enterotype-specific links between the host metabolic phenotypes and dietary patterns, emphasizing the importance of microbiome-based stratification when investigating metabolic responses to diets. Future diet intervention studies are clearly warranted to examine gut microbe-diet-host relationships to promote knowledge-based recommendations in relation to improving metabolic health in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanzi Zhong
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
- Laboratory of Genomics and Molecular Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - John Penders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism & Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Zhun Shi
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Huahui Ren
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Kaiye Cai
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Chao Fang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
- Laboratory of Genomics and Molecular Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Qiuxia Ding
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Carel Thijs
- Department of Epidemiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ellen E Blaak
- Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Coen D A Stehouwer
- Department of Internal Medicine, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jian Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jun Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Daisy M A E Jonkers
- Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, NUTRIM School of Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ad A M Masclee
- Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, NUTRIM School of Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Susanne Brix
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Soltofts Plads, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Junhua Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ilja C W Arts
- Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MaCSBio) & Department of Epidemiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Karsten Kristiansen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China.
- Laboratory of Genomics and Molecular Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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14
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Egan M, Bottacini F, O'Connell Motherway M, Casey PG, Morrissey R, Melgar S, Faurie JM, Chervaux C, Smokvina T, van Sinderen D. Staying alive: growth and survival of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:10645-10663. [PMID: 30306201 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9413-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Members of the Bifidobacterium genus are widely used as probiotics in fermented milk products. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis CNCM I-4602 grows and survives poorly in reconstituted skimmed milk (RSM). Availing of genome and transcriptome information, this poor growth and survival phenotype in milk was substantially improved by the addition of certain compounds, such as yeast extract, uric acid, glutathione, cysteine, ferrous sulfate, and a combination of magnesium sulfate and manganese sulfate. Carbohydrate utilization of CNCM I-4602 was also investigated, allowing the identification of several carbohydrate utilization gene clusters, and highlighting this strain's inability to utilize lactose, unlike the type strain of this subspecies, B. animalis subsp. animalis ATCC25527 and the B. animalis subsp. lactis subspecies. In addition, the ability of B. animalis subsp. animalis CNCM I-4602 to colonize a murine model was investigated, which showed that this strain persists in the murine gut for a period of at least 4 weeks. Associated in vivo transcriptome analysis revealed that, among other genes, a gene cluster encoding a predicted type IVb tight adherence (Tad) pilus was upregulated, indicating that this extracellular structure plays a role in the colonization/adaptation of the murine gastrointestinal tract by this strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muireann Egan
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Mary O'Connell Motherway
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Patrick G Casey
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Ruth Morrissey
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Silvia Melgar
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | | | | | - Tamara Smokvina
- Danone Nutricia Research, Avenue de la Vauve, 91767, Palaiseau, France
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland.
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15
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Comparative genomics and genotype-phenotype associations in Bifidobacterium breve. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10633. [PMID: 30006593 PMCID: PMC6045613 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28919-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are common members of the gastro-intestinal microbiota of a broad range of animal hosts. Their successful adaptation to this particular niche is linked to their saccharolytic metabolism, which is supported by a wide range of glycosyl hydrolases. In the current study a large-scale gene-trait matching (GTM) effort was performed to explore glycan degradation capabilities in B. breve. By correlating the presence/absence of genes and associated genomic clusters with growth/no-growth patterns across a dataset of 20 Bifidobacterium breve strains and nearly 80 different potential growth substrates, we not only validated the approach for a number of previously characterized carbohydrate utilization clusters, but we were also able to discover novel genetic clusters linked to the metabolism of salicin and sucrose. Using GTM, genetic associations were also established for antibiotic resistance and exopolysaccharide production, thereby identifying (novel) bifidobacterial antibiotic resistance markers and showing that the GTM approach is applicable to a variety of phenotypes. Overall, the GTM findings clearly expand our knowledge on members of the B. breve species, in particular how their variable genetic features can be linked to specific phenotypes.
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16
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Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 Employs Multiple Transcriptional Regulators To Control Metabolism of Particular Human Milk Oligosaccharides. Appl Environ Microbiol 2018; 84:AEM.02774-17. [PMID: 29500268 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02774-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacterial carbohydrate metabolism has been studied in considerable detail for a variety of both plant- and human-derived glycans, particularly involving the bifidobacterial prototype strain Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. We recently elucidated the metabolic pathways by which the human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) constituents lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) and lacto-N-biose (LNB) are utilized by B. breve UCC2003. However, to date, no work has been carried out on the regulatory mechanisms that control the expression of the genetic loci involved in these HMO metabolic pathways. In this study, we describe the characterization of three transcriptional regulators and the corresponding operator and associated (inducible) promoter sequences, with the latter governing the transcription of the genetic elements involved in LN(n)T/LNB metabolism. The activity of these regulators is dependent on the release of specific monosaccharides, which are believed to act as allosteric effectors and which are derived from the corresponding HMOs targeted by the particular locus.IMPORTANCE Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a key factor in the development of the breastfed-infant microbiota. They function as prebiotics, selecting for a specific range of microbes, including a number of infant-associated species of bifidobacteria, which are thought to provide a range of health benefits to the infant host. While much research has been carried out on elucidating the mechanisms of HMO metabolism in infant-associated bifidobacteria, to date there is very little understanding of the transcriptional regulation of these pathways. This study reveals a multicomponent transcriptional regulation system that controls the recently identified pathways of HMO metabolism in the infant-associated Bifidobacterium breve prototype strain UCC2003. This not only provides insight into the regulatory mechanisms present in other infant-associated bifidobacteria but also provides an example of a network of sequential steps regulating microbial carbohydrate metabolism.
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17
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Glycan Utilization and Cross-Feeding Activities by Bifidobacteria. Trends Microbiol 2018; 26:339-350. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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18
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Turroni F, Milani C, Duranti S, Ferrario C, Lugli GA, Mancabelli L, van Sinderen D, Ventura M. Bifidobacteria and the infant gut: an example of co-evolution and natural selection. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:103-118. [PMID: 28983638 PMCID: PMC11105234 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2672-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the human life, the gut microbiota interacts with us in a number of different ways, thereby influencing our health status. The acquisition of such an interactive gut microbiota commences at birth. Medical and environmental factors including diet, antibiotic exposure and mode of delivery are major factors that shape the composition of the microbial communities in the infant gut. Among the most abundant members of the infant microbiota are species belonging to the Bifidobacterium genus, which are believed to confer beneficial effects upon their host. Bifidobacteria may be acquired directly from the mother by vertical transmission and their persistence in the infant gut is associated with their saccharolytic activity toward glycans that are abundant in the infant gut. Here, we discuss the establishment of the infant gut microbiota and the contribution of bifidobacteria to this early life microbial consortium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Turroni
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Christian Milani
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Sabrina Duranti
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Chiara Ferrario
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gabriele Andrea Lugli
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Leonardo Mancabelli
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marco Ventura
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
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19
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Technological properties assessment and two component systems distribution of Streptococcus thermophilus strains isolated from fermented milk. Arch Microbiol 2017; 200:567-580. [PMID: 29236144 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-017-1468-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 11/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus thermophilus is one of the economically most representatives of lactic acid bacteria, which is widely used as a starter to produce fermented milk products. In this study, 22 S. thermophilus strains were isolated from 26 fermented milk samples. Most isolates showed the ability to ferment a broad range of carbohydrates. Interestingly, eight strains are galactose positive, which is a desirable property in various industrial dairy fermentations. Four different nucleotide sequences were found in the galR-galK intergenic regions. The 16S-23S intergenic spacer region sequences of most isolates were determined as ITS-St-II type, which are related with protease positive and fast acidification. CS18 presented excellent technological performances, and showed potential as a promising starter candidate. To gain a comprehensive view of stress response mechanisms of strains, the distribution of all the two-component systems (TCSs) in strains were investigated. TCS analysis indicated that the nucleotide sequence of TCSs have obvious differences in different strains. And the strains with the special nucleotide sequences of TCS have distinctive traits. Therefore, it was speculated that there is a certain connection between the traits' difference and the TCS difference of strains.
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20
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Milani C, Duranti S, Bottacini F, Casey E, Turroni F, Mahony J, Belzer C, Delgado Palacio S, Arboleya Montes S, Mancabelli L, Lugli GA, Rodriguez JM, Bode L, de Vos W, Gueimonde M, Margolles A, van Sinderen D, Ventura M. The First Microbial Colonizers of the Human Gut: Composition, Activities, and Health Implications of the Infant Gut Microbiota. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2017; 81:e00036-17. [PMID: 29118049 PMCID: PMC5706746 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00036-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 989] [Impact Index Per Article: 141.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiota is engaged in multiple interactions affecting host health during the host's entire life span. Microbes colonize the neonatal gut immediately following birth. The establishment and interactive development of this early gut microbiota are believed to be (at least partially) driven and modulated by specific compounds present in human milk. It has been shown that certain genomes of infant gut commensals, in particular those of bifidobacterial species, are genetically adapted to utilize specific glycans of this human secretory fluid, thus representing a very intriguing example of host-microbe coevolution, where both partners are believed to benefit. In recent years, various metagenomic studies have tried to dissect the composition and functionality of the infant gut microbiome and to explore the distribution across the different ecological niches of the infant gut biogeography of the corresponding microbial consortia, including those corresponding to bacteria and viruses, in healthy and ill subjects. Such analyses have linked certain features of the microbiota/microbiome, such as reduced diversity or aberrant composition, to intestinal illnesses in infants or disease states that are manifested at later stages of life, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic disorders. Thus, a growing number of studies have reported on how the early human gut microbiota composition/development may affect risk factors related to adult health conditions. This concept has fueled the development of strategies to shape the infant microbiota composition based on various functional food products. In this review, we describe the infant microbiota, the mechanisms that drive its establishment and composition, and how microbial consortia may be molded by natural or artificial interventions. Finally, we discuss the relevance of key microbial players of the infant gut microbiota, in particular bifidobacteria, with respect to their role in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Milani
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Sabrina Duranti
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Eoghan Casey
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Francesca Turroni
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Jennifer Mahony
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Clara Belzer
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Susana Delgado Palacio
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Silvia Arboleya Montes
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Leonardo Mancabelli
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gabriele Andrea Lugli
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Juan Miguel Rodriguez
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Food Technology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lars Bode
- Department of Pediatrics and Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Willem de Vos
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Bacteriology & Immunology, RPU Immunobiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miguel Gueimonde
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Abelardo Margolles
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marco Ventura
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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21
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Ruiz L, Bottacini F, Boinett CJ, Cain AK, O'Connell-Motherway M, Lawley TD, van Sinderen D. The essential genomic landscape of the commensal Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5648. [PMID: 28717159 PMCID: PMC5514069 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05795-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are common gut commensals with purported health-promoting effects. This has encouraged scientific research into bifidobacteria, though recalcitrance to genetic manipulation and scarcity of molecular tools has hampered our knowledge on the precise molecular determinants of their health-promoting attributes and gut adaptation. To overcome this problem and facilitate functional genomic analyses in bifidobacteria, we created a large Tn5 transposon mutant library of the commensal Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 that was further characterized by means of a Transposon Directed Insertion Sequencing (TraDIS) approach. Statistical analysis of transposon insertion distribution revealed a set of 453 genes that are essential for or markedly contribute to growth of this strain under laboratory conditions. These essential genes encode functions involved in the so-called bifid-shunt, most enzymes related to nucleotide biosynthesis and a range of housekeeping functions. Comparison to the Bifidobacterium and B. breve core genomes highlights a high degree of conservation of essential genes at the species and genus level, while comparison to essential gene datasets from other gut bacteria identified essential genes that appear specific to bifidobacteria. This work establishes a useful molecular tool for scientific discovery of bifidobacteria and identifies targets for further studies aimed at characterizing essential functions not previously examined in bifidobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Ruiz
- School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Institute, National University of Ireland, Cork, Western Road, Ireland.,Department of Nutrition, Bromatology and Food Technology, Complutense University, Avda Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Institute, National University of Ireland, Cork, Western Road, Ireland
| | | | - Amy K Cain
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mary O'Connell-Motherway
- School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Institute, National University of Ireland, Cork, Western Road, Ireland
| | | | - Douwe van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Institute, National University of Ireland, Cork, Western Road, Ireland.
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22
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Lanigan N, Bottacini F, Casey PG, O'Connell Motherway M, van Sinderen D. Genome-Wide Search for Genes Required for Bifidobacterial Growth under Iron-Limitation. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:964. [PMID: 28620359 PMCID: PMC5449479 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria evolved over millennia in the presence of the vital micronutrient iron. Iron is involved in numerous processes within the cell and is essential for nearly all living organisms. The importance of iron to the survival of bacteria is obvious from the large variety of mechanisms by which iron may be acquired from the environment. Random mutagenesis and global gene expression profiling led to the identification of a number of genes, which are essential for Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 survival under iron-restrictive conditions. These genes encode, among others, Fe-S cluster-associated proteins, a possible ferric iron reductase, a number of cell wall-associated proteins, and various DNA replication and repair proteins. In addition, our study identified several presumed iron uptake systems which were shown to be essential for B. breve UCC2003 growth under conditions of either ferric and/or ferrous iron chelation. Of these, two gene clusters encoding putative iron-uptake systems, bfeUO and sifABCDE, were further characterised, indicating that sifABCDE is involved in ferrous iron transport, while the bfeUO-encoded transport system imports both ferrous and ferric iron. Transcription studies showed that bfeUO and sifABCDE constitute two separate transcriptional units that are induced upon dipyridyl-mediated iron limitation. In the anaerobic gastrointestinal environment ferrous iron is presumed to be of most relevance, though a mutation in the sifABCDE cluster does not affect B. breve UCC2003's ability to colonise the gut of a murine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noreen Lanigan
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, University College CorkCork, Ireland
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, University College CorkCork, Ireland
| | - Pat G Casey
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, University College CorkCork, Ireland
| | | | - Douwe van Sinderen
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, University College CorkCork, Ireland
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23
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Pokusaeva K, Johnson C, Luk B, Uribe G, Fu Y, Oezguen N, Matsunami RK, Lugo M, Major A, Mori‐Akiyama Y, Hollister EB, Dann SM, Shi XZ, Engler DA, Savidge T, Versalovic J. GABA-producing Bifidobacterium dentium modulates visceral sensitivity in the intestine. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017; 29:e12904. [PMID: 27458085 PMCID: PMC5195897 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.12904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recurrent abdominal pain is a common and costly health-care problem attributed, in part, to visceral hypersensitivity. Increasing evidence suggests that gut bacteria contribute to abdominal pain perception by modulating the microbiome-gut-brain axis. However, specific microbial signals remain poorly defined. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a principal inhibitory neurotransmitter and a key regulator of abdominal and central pain perception from peripheral afferent neurons. Although gut bacteria are reported to produce GABA, it is not known whether the microbial-derived neurotransmitter modulates abdominal pain. METHODS To investigate the potential analgesic effects of microbial GABA, we performed daily oral administration of a specific Bifidobacterium strain (B. dentiumATCC 27678) in a rat fecal retention model of visceral hypersensitivity, and subsequently evaluated pain responses. KEY RESULTS We demonstrate that commensal Bifidobacterium dentium produces GABA via enzymatic decarboxylation of glutamate by GadB. Daily oral administration of this specific Bifidobacterium (but not a gadB deficient) strain modulated sensory neuron activity in a rat fecal retention model of visceral hypersensitivity. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES The functional significance of microbial-derived GABA was demonstrated by gadB-dependent desensitization of colonic afferents in a murine model of visceral hypersensitivity. Visceral pain modulation represents another potential health benefit attributed to bifidobacteria and other GABA-producing species of the intestinal microbiome. Targeting GABAergic signals along this microbiome-gut-brain axis represents a new approach for the treatment of abdominal pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Pokusaeva
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - C. Johnson
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - B. Luk
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - G. Uribe
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Molecular Virology & MicrobiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA
| | - Y. Fu
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical BranchGalvestonTXUSA
| | - N. Oezguen
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - R. K. Matsunami
- Proteomics Programmatic Core LaboratoryHouston Methodist Hospital Research InstituteHoustonTXUSA
| | - M. Lugo
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA
| | - A. Major
- Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - Y. Mori‐Akiyama
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - E. B. Hollister
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - S. M. Dann
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical BranchGalvestonTXUSA
| | - X. Z. Shi
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical BranchGalvestonTXUSA
| | - D. A. Engler
- Proteomics Programmatic Core LaboratoryHouston Methodist Hospital Research InstituteHoustonTXUSA
| | - T. Savidge
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA
| | - J. Versalovic
- Department of Pathology & ImmunologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA,Department of PathologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTXUSA,Molecular Virology & MicrobiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTXUSA
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24
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Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 metabolises the human milk oligosaccharides lacto-N-tetraose and lacto-N-neo-tetraose through overlapping, yet distinct pathways. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38560. [PMID: 27929046 PMCID: PMC5144078 DOI: 10.1038/srep38560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate that the prototype B. breve strain UCC2003 possesses specific metabolic pathways for the utilisation of lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), which represent the central moieties of Type I and Type II human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), respectively. Using a combination of experimental approaches, the enzymatic machinery involved in the metabolism of LNT and LNnT was identified and characterised. Homologs of the key genetic loci involved in the utilisation of these HMO substrates were identified in B. breve, B. bifidum, B. longum subsp. infantis and B. longum subsp. longum using bioinformatic analyses, and were shown to be variably present among other members of the Bifidobacterium genus, with a distinct pattern of conservation among human-associated bifidobacterial species.
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25
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Glycosulfatase-Encoding Gene Cluster in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:6611-6623. [PMID: 27590817 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02022-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria constitute a specific group of commensal bacteria typically found in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of humans and other mammals. Bifidobacterium breve strains are numerically prevalent among the gut microbiota of many healthy breastfed infants. In the present study, we investigated glycosulfatase activity in a bacterial isolate from a nursling stool sample, B. breve UCC2003. Two putative sulfatases were identified on the genome of B. breve UCC2003. The sulfated monosaccharide N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate (GlcNAc-6-S) was shown to support the growth of B. breve UCC2003, while N-acetylglucosamine-3-sulfate, N-acetylgalactosamine-3-sulfate, and N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate did not support appreciable growth. By using a combination of transcriptomic and functional genomic approaches, a gene cluster designated ats2 was shown to be specifically required for GlcNAc-6-S metabolism. Transcription of the ats2 cluster is regulated by a repressor open reading frame kinase (ROK) family transcriptional repressor. This study represents the first description of glycosulfatase activity within the Bifidobacterium genus. IMPORTANCE Bifidobacteria are saccharolytic organisms naturally found in the digestive tract of mammals and insects. Bifidobacterium breve strains utilize a variety of plant- and host-derived carbohydrates that allow them to be present as prominent members of the infant gut microbiota as well as being present in the gastrointestinal tract of adults. In this study, we introduce a previously unexplored area of carbohydrate metabolism in bifidobacteria, namely, the metabolism of sulfated carbohydrates. B. breve UCC2003 was shown to metabolize N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate (GlcNAc-6-S) through one of two sulfatase-encoding gene clusters identified on its genome. GlcNAc-6-S can be found in terminal or branched positions of mucin oligosaccharides, the glycoprotein component of the mucous layer that covers the digestive tract. The results of this study provide further evidence of the ability of this species to utilize mucin-derived sugars, a trait which may provide a competitive advantage in both the infant gut and adult gut.
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26
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Ruiz L, Delgado S, Ruas-Madiedo P, Margolles A, Sánchez B. Proteinaceous Molecules Mediating Bifidobacterium-Host Interactions. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1193. [PMID: 27536282 PMCID: PMC4971063 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are commensal microoganisms found in the gastrointestinal tract. Several strains have been attributed beneficial traits at local and systemic levels, through pathogen exclusion or immune modulation, among other benefits. This has promoted a growing industrial and scientific interest in bifidobacteria as probiotic supplements. However, the molecular mechanisms mediating this cross-talk with the human host remain unknown. High-throughput technologies, from functional genomics to transcriptomics, proteomics, and interactomics coupled to the development of both in vitro and in vivo models to study the dynamics of the intestinal microbiota and their effects on host cells, have eased the identification of key molecules in these interactions. Numerous secreted or surface-associated proteins or peptides have been identified as potential mediators of bifidobacteria-host interactions and molecular cross-talk, directly participating in sensing environmental factors, promoting intestinal colonization, or mediating a dialogue with mucosa-associated immune cells. On the other hand, bifidobacteria induce the production of proteins in the intestine, by epithelial or immune cells, and other gut bacteria, which are key elements in orchestrating interactions among bifidobacteria, gut microbiota, and host cells. This review aims to give a comprehensive overview on proteinaceous molecules described and characterized to date, as mediators of the dynamic interplay between bifidobacteria and the human host, providing a framework to identify knowledge gaps and future research needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Ruiz
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Food Technology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Spain
| | - Susana Delgado
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Villaviciosa, Spain
| | - Patricia Ruas-Madiedo
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Villaviciosa, Spain
| | - Abelardo Margolles
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Villaviciosa, Spain
| | - Borja Sánchez
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Villaviciosa, Spain
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27
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O'Callaghan A, van Sinderen D. Bifidobacteria and Their Role as Members of the Human Gut Microbiota. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:925. [PMID: 27379055 PMCID: PMC4908950 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 506] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the genus Bifidobacterium are among the first microbes to colonize the human gastrointestinal tract and are believed to exert positive health benefits on their host. Due to their purported health-promoting properties, bifidobacteria have been incorporated into many functional foods as active ingredients. Bifidobacteria naturally occur in a range of ecological niches that are either directly or indirectly connected to the animal gastrointestinal tract, such as the human oral cavity, the insect gut and sewage. To be able to survive in these particular ecological niches, bifidobacteria must possess specific adaptations to be competitive. Determination of genome sequences has revealed genetic attributes that may explain bifidobacterial ecological fitness, such as metabolic abilities, evasion of the host adaptive immune system and colonization of the host through specific appendages. However, genetic modification is crucial toward fully elucidating the mechanisms by which bifidobacteria exert their adaptive abilities and beneficial properties. In this review we provide an up to date summary of the general features of bifidobacteria, whilst paying particular attention to the metabolic abilities of this species. We also describe methods that have allowed successful genetic manipulation of bifidobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy O'Callaghan
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and School of Microbiology, University College Cork Cork, Ireland
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and School of Microbiology, University College Cork Cork, Ireland
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Khoroshkin MS, Leyn SA, Van Sinderen D, Rodionov DA. Transcriptional Regulation of Carbohydrate Utilization Pathways in the Bifidobacterium Genus. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:120. [PMID: 26903998 PMCID: PMC4746261 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria, which represent common commensals of mammalian gut, are believed to have positive effects on human health. The influence of certain non-digestible carbohydrates (and their use as so-called prebiotics) on growth and metabolic activity of bifidobacteria is of increasing interest; however, mechanisms of transcriptional control of carbohydrate metabolism are poorly understood in these species. We used a comparative genomics approach to reconstruct carbohydrate utilization pathways and transcriptional regulons in 10 Bifidobacterium genomes. Analysis of regulatory gene regions revealed candidate DNA motifs and reconstructed regulons for 268 transcription factors from the LacI, ROK, DeoR, AraC, GntR, and TetR families that form 64 orthologous groups of regulators. Most of the reconstructed regulons are local and control specific catabolic pathways for host- and diet-derived glycans and monosaccharides. Mosaic distributions of many of these local regulators across Bifidobacterium species correlate with distribution of corresponding catabolic pathways. In contrast, the maltose, galactose, sucrose, and fructose regulons, as well as a novel global LacI-family regulator that is predicted to control the central carbohydrate metabolism and arabinose catabolism genes, are universally present in all 10 studied bifidobacteria. A novel group of TetR-family regulators presumably controls the glucoside and galactoside utilization pathways. Paralogs of the ribose repressor RbsR control the pyrimidine nucleoside utilization genes. Multiple paralogs of the maltose regulator MalR co-regulate large sets of genes involved in maltodextrin utilization. The inferred metabolic regulons provide new insights on diverse carbohydrate utilization networks in bifidobacteria that can be employed in metabolic modeling, phenotype prediction and the rational development of novel prebiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matvei S Khoroshkin
- A. A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia
| | - Semen A Leyn
- A. A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia
| | - Douwe Van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork Cork, Ireland
| | - Dmitry A Rodionov
- A. A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of SciencesMoscow, Russia; Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteLa Jolla, CA, USA
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29
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Genomics of the Genus Bifidobacterium Reveals Species-Specific Adaptation to the Glycan-Rich Gut Environment. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 82:980-991. [PMID: 26590291 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03500-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria represent one of the dominant microbial groups that occur in the gut of various animals, being particularly prevalent during the suckling period of humans and other mammals. Their ability to compete with other gut bacteria is largely attributed to their saccharolytic features. Comparative and functional genomic as well as transcriptomic analyses have revealed the genetic background that underpins the overall saccharolytic phenotype for each of the 47 bifidobacterial (sub)species representing the genus Bifidobacterium, while also generating insightful information regarding carbohydrate resource sharing and cross-feeding among bifidobacteria. The abundance of bifidobacterial saccharolytic features in human microbiomes supports the notion that metabolic accessibility to dietary and/or host-derived glycans is a potent evolutionary force that has shaped the bifidobacterial genome.
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30
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Transcription of two adjacent carbohydrate utilization gene clusters in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 is controlled by LacI- and repressor open reading frame kinase (ROK)-type regulators. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 80:3604-14. [PMID: 24705323 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00130-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the genus Bifidobacterium are commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including humans, where their growth is presumed to be dependent on various diet- and/or host-derived carbohydrates. To understand transcriptional control of bifidobacterial carbohydrate metabolism, we investigated two genetic carbohydrate utilization clusters dedicated to the metabolism of raffinose-type sugars and melezitose. Transcriptomic and gene inactivation approaches revealed that the raffinose utilization system is positively regulated by an activator protein, designated RafR. The gene cluster associated with melezitose metabolism was shown to be subject to direct negative control by a LacI-type transcriptional regulator, designated MelR1, in addition to apparent indirect negative control by means of a second LacI-type regulator, MelR2. In silico analysis, DNA-protein interaction, and primer extension studies revealed the MelR1 and MelR2 operator sequences, each of which is positioned just upstream of or overlapping the correspondingly regulated promoter sequences. Similar analyses identified the RafR binding operator sequence located upstream of the rafB promoter. This study indicates that transcriptional control of gene clusters involved in carbohydrate metabolism in bifidobacteria is subject to conserved regulatory systems, representing either positive or negative control.
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Egan M, O'Connell Motherway M, van Sinderen D. A GntR-type transcriptional repressor controls sialic acid utilization in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2014; 362:fnu056. [PMID: 25688064 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnu056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacterium breve strains are numerically prevalent among the gut microbiota of healthy, breast-fed infants. The metabolism of sialic acid, a ubiquitous monosaccharide in the infant and adult gut, by B. breve UCC2003 is dependent on a large gene cluster, designated the nan/nag cluster. This study describes the transcriptional regulation of the nan/nag cluster and thus sialic acid metabolism in B. breve UCC2003. Insertion mutagenesis and transcriptome analysis revealed that the nan/nag cluster is regulated by a GntR family transcriptional repressor, designated NanR. Crude cell extract of Escherichia coli EC101 in which the nanR gene had been cloned and overexpressed was shown to bind to two promoter regions within this cluster, each of which containing an imperfect inverted repeat that is believed to act as the NanR operator sequence. Formation of the DNA-NanR complex is prevented in the presence of sialic acid, which we had previously shown to induce transcription of this gene cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muireann Egan
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Mary O'Connell Motherway
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
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32
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Egan M, Motherway MO, Kilcoyne M, Kane M, Joshi L, Ventura M, van Sinderen D. Cross-feeding by Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 during co-cultivation with Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010 in a mucin-based medium. BMC Microbiol 2014; 14:282. [PMID: 25420416 PMCID: PMC4252021 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-014-0282-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bifidobacteria constitute a specific group of commensal bacteria that commonly inhabit the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 was previously shown to utilize a variety of plant/diet/host-derived carbohydrates, including cellodextrin, starch and galactan, as well as the mucin and HMO-derived monosaccharide, sialic acid. In the current study, we investigated the ability of this strain to utilize parts of a host-derived source of carbohydrate, namely the mucin glycoprotein, when grown in co-culture with the mucin-degrading Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010. RESULTS B. breve UCC2003 was shown to exhibit growth properties in a mucin-based medium, but only when grown in the presence of B. bifidum PRL2010, which is known to metabolize mucin. A combination of HPAEC-PAD and transcriptome analyses identified some of the possible monosaccharides and oligosaccharides which support this enhanced co-cultivation growth/viability phenotype. CONCLUSION This study describes the potential existence of a gut commensal relationship between two bifidobacterial species. We demonstrate the in vitro ability of B. breve UCC2003 to cross-feed on sugars released by the mucin-degrading activity of B. bifidum PRL2010, thus advancing our knowledge on the metabolic adaptability which allows the former strain to colonize the (infant) gut by its extensive metabolic abilities to (co-)utilize available carbohydrate sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muireann Egan
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Mary O'Connell Motherway
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Michelle Kilcoyne
- Glycoscience Group, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
- Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Marian Kane
- Glycoscience Group, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Lokesh Joshi
- Glycoscience Group, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Marco Ventura
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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Sun Z, Westermann C, Yuan J, Riedel CU. Experimental determination and characterization of the gap promoter of Bifidobacterium bifidum S17. Bioengineered 2014; 5:371-7. [PMID: 25482086 DOI: 10.4161/bioe.34423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The DNA sequence upstream of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gap) of various strains of bifidobacteria is used in a number of vector systems for homologous and heterologous expression in this group of bacteria. To date none of the bifidobacterial gap promoters (Pgap) have been verified experimentally. Here, we probe a range of putative bifidobacterial promoters hypothesized to show high constitutive transcriptional activity using a β-glucuronidase reporter system. In silico analysis revealed a predicted bacterial promoter upstream of the gap gene of Bifidobacterium bifidum S17. The corresponding DNA sequences was cloned into the promoter probe vector pMDY23 and yielded highest reporter activities among the promoter sequences tested confirming previous studies. Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE), we identified the transcription start site (TSS) of Pgap of B. bifidum S17. The experimentally determined TSS and the associated -10 and -35 regions do not match with the promoter predicted in silico. Moreover, a potential ribosome-binding site (RBS) was identified upstream of the ATG start codon of the gap gene, which is complementary to the 3'-end of the 16S rRNA with only 1 mismatch suggesting efficient initiation of translation. Alignment of the Pgap sequences of a number of representative bifidobacteria showed a high level of conservation and the presence of -35 and -10 regions, which are similar but not identical to the consensus promoter sequences of house-keeping genes of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Collectively, these results confirm the suitability of Pgap for high level, constitutive expression in bifidobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongke Sun
- a Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology ; University of Ulm ; Ulm , Germany
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Metabolism of sialic acid by Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:4414-26. [PMID: 24814790 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01114-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria constitute a specific group of commensal bacteria that inhabit the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other mammals. Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 has previously been shown to utilize several plant-derived carbohydrates that include cellodextrins, starch, and galactan. In the present study, we investigated the ability of this strain to utilize the mucin- and human milk oligosaccharide (HMO)-derived carbohydrate sialic acid. Using a combination of transcriptomic and functional genomic approaches, we identified a gene cluster dedicated to the uptake and metabolism of sialic acid. Furthermore, we demonstrate that B. breve UCC2003 can cross feed on sialic acid derived from the metabolism of 3'-sialyllactose, an abundant HMO, by another infant gut bifidobacterial strain, Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010.
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O′Connell Motherway M, Watson D, Bottacini F, Clark TA, Roberts RJ, Korlach J, Garault P, Chervaux C, van Hylckama Vlieg JET, Smokvina T, van Sinderen D. Identification of restriction-modification systems of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CNCM I-2494 by SMRT sequencing and associated methylome analysis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e94875. [PMID: 24743599 PMCID: PMC3990576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CNCM I-2494 is a component of a commercialized fermented dairy product for which beneficial effects on health has been studied by clinical and preclinical trials. To date little is known about the molecular mechanisms that could explain the beneficial effects that bifidobacteria impart to the host. Restriction-modification (R-M) systems have been identified as key obstacles in the genetic accessibility of bifidobacteria, and circumventing these is a prerequisite to attaining a fundamental understanding of bifidobacterial attributes, including the genes that are responsible for health-promoting properties of this clinically and industrially important group of bacteria. The complete genome sequence of B. animalis subsp. lactis CNCM I-2494 is predicted to harbour the genetic determinants for two type II R-M systems, designated BanLI and BanLII. In order to investigate the functionality and specificity of these two putative R-M systems in B. animalis subsp. lactis CNCM I-2494, we employed PacBio SMRT sequencing with associated methylome analysis. In addition, the contribution of the identified R-M systems to the genetic accessibility of this strain was assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary O′Connell Motherway
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Debbie Watson
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Tyson A. Clark
- Pacific Biosciences, Menlo Park, California, United States of America
| | | | - Jonas Korlach
- Pacific Biosciences, Menlo Park, California, United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | - Douwe van Sinderen
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
- * E-mail:
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Landete JM, Peirotén Á, Rodríguez E, Margolles A, Medina M, Arqués JL. Anaerobic green fluorescent protein as a marker of Bifidobacterium strains. Int J Food Microbiol 2014; 175:6-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2014.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 01/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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37
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Bottacini F, O'Connell Motherway M, Kuczynski J, O'Connell KJ, Serafini F, Duranti S, Milani C, Turroni F, Lugli GA, Zomer A, Zhurina D, Riedel C, Ventura M, van Sinderen D. Comparative genomics of the Bifidobacterium breve taxon. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:170. [PMID: 24581150 PMCID: PMC4007704 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bifidobacteria are commonly found as part of the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of a broad range of hosts, where their presence is positively correlated with the host's health status. In this study, we assessed the genomes of thirteen representatives of Bifidobacterium breve, which is not only a frequently encountered component of the (adult and infant) human gut microbiota, but can also be isolated from human milk and vagina. RESULTS In silico analysis of genome sequences from thirteen B. breve strains isolated from different environments (infant and adult faeces, human milk, human vagina) shows that the genetic variability of this species principally consists of hypothetical genes and mobile elements, but, interestingly, also genes correlated with the adaptation to host environment and gut colonization. These latter genes specify the biosynthetic machinery for sortase-dependent pili and exopolysaccharide production, as well as genes that provide protection against invasion of foreign DNA (i.e. CRISPR loci and restriction/modification systems), and genes that encode enzymes responsible for carbohydrate fermentation. Gene-trait matching analysis showed clear correlations between known metabolic capabilities and characterized genes, and it also allowed the identification of a gene cluster involved in the utilization of the alcohol-sugar sorbitol. CONCLUSIONS Genome analysis of thirteen representatives of the B. breve species revealed that the deduced pan-genome exhibits an essentially close trend. For this reason our analyses suggest that this number of B. breve representatives is sufficient to fully describe the pan-genome of this species. Comparative genomics also facilitated the genetic explanation for differential carbon source utilization phenotypes previously observed in different strains of B. breve.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Marco Ventura
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Department of Microbiology, Bioscience Institute, National University of Ireland, Western Road, Cork, Ireland.
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O'Connell KJ, O'Connell Motherway M, O'Callaghan J, Fitzgerald GF, Ross RP, Ventura M, Stanton C, van Sinderen D. Metabolism of four α-glycosidic linkage-containing oligosaccharides by Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:6280-92. [PMID: 23913435 PMCID: PMC3811189 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01775-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the genus Bifidobacterium are common inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other mammals, where they ferment many diet-derived carbohydrates that cannot be digested by their hosts. To extend our understanding of bifidobacterial carbohydrate utilization, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which 11 strains of Bifidobacterium breve metabolize four distinct α-glucose- and/or α-galactose-containing oligosaccharides, namely, raffinose, stachyose, melibiose, and melezitose. Here we demonstrate that all B. breve strains examined possess the ability to utilize raffinose, stachyose, and melibiose. However, the ability to metabolize melezitose was not common to all B. breve strains tested. Transcriptomic and functional genomic approaches identified a gene cluster dedicated to the metabolism of α-galactose-containing carbohydrates, while an adjacent gene cluster, dedicated to the metabolism of α-glucose-containing melezitose, was identified in strains that are able to use this carbohydrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry Joan O'Connell
- Department of Microbiology
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Mary O'Connell Motherway
- Department of Microbiology
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - John O'Callaghan
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Research Centre Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland
| | - Gerald F. Fitzgerald
- Department of Microbiology
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - R. Paul Ross
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Research Centre Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marco Ventura
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Genetics, Biology of Microorganisms, Anthropology and Evolution, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Catherine Stanton
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Research Centre Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- Department of Microbiology
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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Guglielmetti S, Mayo B, Álvarez-Martín P. Mobilome and genetic modification of bifidobacteria. Benef Microbes 2013; 4:143-66. [PMID: 23271067 DOI: 10.3920/bm2012.0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Until recently, proper development of molecular studies in Bifidobacterium species has been hampered by growth difficulties, because of their exigent nutritive requirements, oxygen sensitivity and lack of efficient genetic tools. These studies, however, are critical to uncover the cross-talk between bifidobacteria and their hosts' cells and to prove unequivocally the supposed beneficial effects provided through the endogenous bifidobacterial populations or after ingestion as probiotics. The genome sequencing projects of different bifidobacterial strains have provided a wealth of genetic data that will be of much help in deciphering the molecular basis of the physiological properties of bifidobacteria. To this end, the purposeful development of stable cloning and expression vectors based on robust replicons - either from temperate phages or resident plasmids - is still needed. This review addresses the current knowledge on the mobile genetic elements of bifidobacteria (prophages, plasmids and transposons) and summarises the different types of vectors already available, together with the transformation procedures for introducing DNA into the cells. It also covers recent molecular studies performed with such vectors and incipient results on the genetic modification of these organisms, establishing the basis that would allow the use of bifidobacteria for future biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Guglielmetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Alimentari e Microbiologiche, Sezione di Microbiologia Industriale, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
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40
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O'Connell Motherway M, Kinsella M, Fitzgerald GF, van Sinderen D. Transcriptional and functional characterization of genetic elements involved in galacto-oligosaccharide utilization by Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Microb Biotechnol 2012. [PMID: 23199239 PMCID: PMC3815386 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Several prebiotics, such as inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides and galacto-oligosaccharides, are widely used commercially in foods and there is convincing evidence, in particular for galacto-oligosaccharides, that prebiotics can modulate the microbiota and promote bifidobacterial growth in the intestinal tract of infants and adults. In this study we describe the identification and functional characterization of the genetic loci responsible for the transport and metabolism of purified galacto-oligosaccharides (PGOS) by Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. We further demonstrate that an extracellular endogalactanase specified by several B. breve strains, including B. breve UCC2003, is essential for partial degradation of PGOS components with a high degree of polymerization. These partially hydrolysed PGOS components are presumed to be transported into the bifidobacterial cell via various ABC transport systems and sugar permeases where they are further degraded to galactose and glucose monomers that feed into the bifid shunt. This work significantly advances our molecular understanding of bifidobacterial PGOS metabolism and its associated genetic machinery to utilize this prebiotic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary O'Connell Motherway
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, National University of Ireland, Western Road, Cork, Ireland; Departments of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
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41
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A conserved two-component signal transduction system controls the response to phosphate starvation in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:5258-69. [PMID: 22635988 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00804-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This work reports on the identification and molecular characterization of the two-component regulatory system (2CRS) PhoRP, which controls the response to inorganic phosphate (P(i)) starvation in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. The response regulator PhoP was shown to bind to the promoter region of pstSCAB, specifying a predicted P(i) transporter system, as well as that of phoU, which encodes a putative P(i)-responsive regulatory protein. This interaction is assumed to cause transcriptional modulation under conditions of P(i) limitation. Our data suggest that the phoRP genes are subject to positive autoregulation and, together with pstSCAB and presumably phoU, represent the complete regulon controlled by the phoRP-encoded 2CRS in B. breve UCC2003. Determination of the minimal PhoP binding region combined with bioinformatic analysis revealed the probable recognition sequence of PhoP, designated here as the PHO box, which together with phoRP is conserved among many high-GC-content Gram-positive bacteria. The importance of the phoRP 2CRS in the response of B. breve to P(i) starvation conditions was confirmed by analysis of a B. breve phoP insertion mutant which exhibited decreased growth under phosphate-limiting conditions compared to its parent strain UCC2003.
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42
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Accessing the inaccessible: molecular tools for bifidobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:5035-42. [PMID: 22582076 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00551-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are an important group of the human intestinal microbiota that have been shown to exert a number of beneficial probiotic effects on the health status of their host. Due to these effects, bifidobacteria have attracted strong interest in health care and food industries for probiotic applications and several species are listed as so-called "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) microorganisms. Moreover, recent studies have pointed out their potential as an alternative or supplementary strategy in tumor therapy or as live vaccines. In order to study the mechanisms by which these organisms exert their beneficial effects and to generate recombinant strains that can be used as drug delivery vectors or live vaccines, appropriate molecular tools are indispensable. This review provides an overview of the currently available methods and tools to generate recombinant strains of bifidobacteria. The currently used protocols for transformation of bifidobacteria, as well as replicons, selection markers, and determinants of expression, will be summarized. We will further discuss promoters, terminators, and localization signals that have been used for successful generation of expression vectors.
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Ruiz L, O'Connell-Motherway M, Zomer A, de los Reyes-Gavilán CG, Margolles A, van Sinderen D. A bile-inducible membrane protein mediates bifidobacterial bile resistance. Microb Biotechnol 2012; 5:523-35. [PMID: 22296641 PMCID: PMC3815329 DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2011.00329.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bbr_0838 from Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 is predicted to encode a 683 residue membrane protein, containing both a permease domain that displays similarity to transporters belonging to the major facilitator superfamily, as well as a CBS (cystathionine beta synthase) domain. The high level of similarity to bile efflux pumps from other bifidobacteria suggests a significant and general role for Bbr_0838 in bile tolerance. Bbr_0838 transcription was shown to be monocistronic and strongly induced upon exposure to bile. Further analysis delineated the transcriptional start site and the minimal region required for promoter activity and bile regulation. Insertional inactivation of Bbr_0838 in B. breve UCC2003 resulted in a strain, UCC2003:838800, which exhibited reduced survival upon cholate exposure as compared with the parent strain, a phenotype that was reversed when a functional, plasmid‐encoded Bbr_0838 gene was introduced into UCC2003:838800. Transcriptome analysis of UCC2003:838800 grown in the presence or absence of bile demonstrated that transcription of Bbr_0832, which is predicted to encode a macrolide efflux transporter gene, was significantly increased in the presence of bile, representing a likely compensatory mechanism for bile removal in the absence of Bbr_0838. This study represents the first in‐depth analysis of a bile‐inducible locus in bifidobacteria, identifying a key gene relevant for bifidobacterial bile tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Ruiz
- Departamento de Microbiología y Bioquímica de Productos Lácteos, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
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O'Connell Motherway M, Zomer A, Leahy SC, Reunanen J, Bottacini F, Claesson MJ, O'Brien F, Flynn K, Casey PG, Moreno Munoz JA, Kearney B, Houston AM, O'Mahony C, Higgins DG, Shanahan F, Palva A, de Vos WM, Fitzgerald GF, Ventura M, O'Toole PW, van Sinderen D. Functional genome analysis of Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 reveals type IVb tight adherence (Tad) pili as an essential and conserved host-colonization factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:11217-22. [PMID: 21690406 PMCID: PMC3131351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1105380108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of the human gut microbiota commences at birth, with bifidobacteria being among the first colonizers of the sterile newborn gastrointestinal tract. To date, the genetic basis of Bifidobacterium colonization and persistence remains poorly understood. Transcriptome analysis of the Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 2.42-Mb genome in a murine colonization model revealed differential expression of a type IVb tight adherence (Tad) pilus-encoding gene cluster designated "tad(2003)." Mutational analysis demonstrated that the tad(2003) gene cluster is essential for efficient in vivo murine gut colonization, and immunogold transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of Tad pili at the poles of B. breve UCC2003 cells. Conservation of the Tad pilus-encoding locus among other B. breve strains and among sequenced Bifidobacterium genomes supports the notion of a ubiquitous pili-mediated host colonization and persistence mechanism for bifidobacteria.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Bacterial Proteins/genetics
- Bacterial Proteins/physiology
- Base Sequence
- Bifidobacterium/genetics
- Bifidobacterium/growth & development
- Bifidobacterium/physiology
- Bifidobacterium/ultrastructure
- Comparative Genomic Hybridization
- DNA, Bacterial/genetics
- Female
- Fimbriae, Bacterial/genetics
- Fimbriae, Bacterial/physiology
- Fimbriae, Bacterial/ultrastructure
- Gastrointestinal Tract/microbiology
- Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
- Genome, Bacterial
- Germ-Free Life
- Humans
- Male
- Metagenome
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
- Microscopy, Immunoelectron
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Multigene Family
- Mutation
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aldert Zomer
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
| | - Sinead C. Leahy
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
- Microbiology
| | - Justus Reunanen
- Division of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
- Microbiology
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Genetics, Biology of Microorganisms, Anthropology, and Evolution, University of Parma, 43100 Parma, Italy
| | | | | | - Kiera Flynn
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Des G. Higgins
- Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; and
| | - Fergus Shanahan
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
- Medicine, and
| | - Airi Palva
- Division of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Willem M. de Vos
- Division of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, 6703 HB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gerald F. Fitzgerald
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
- Microbiology
- Food and Nutritional Sciences, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marco Ventura
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Genetics, Biology of Microorganisms, Anthropology, and Evolution, University of Parma, 43100 Parma, Italy
| | - Paul W. O'Toole
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and Departments of
- Microbiology
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Michán C, Daniels C, Fernández M, Solano J, De La Campa AM, Ramos JL. Sugar (ribose), spice (peroxidase) and all things nice (laccase hair-dyes). Microb Biotechnol 2011; 3:131-3. [PMID: 21255315 PMCID: PMC3836576 DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2010.00167.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Michán
- Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Department. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Edificio Severo Ochoa C-6, 2a Planta, 14071, Córdoba, Spain
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46
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Pokusaeva K, Fitzgerald GF, van Sinderen D. Carbohydrate metabolism in Bifidobacteria. GENES AND NUTRITION 2011; 6:285-306. [PMID: 21484167 DOI: 10.1007/s12263-010-0206-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 494] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2010] [Accepted: 12/15/2010] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Members of the genus Bifidobacterium can be found as components of the gastrointestinal microbiota, and are believed to play an important role in maintaining and promoting human health by eliciting a number of beneficial properties. Bifidobacteria can utilize a diverse range of dietary carbohydrates that escape degradation in the upper parts of the intestine, many of which are plant-derived oligo- and polysaccharides. The gene content of a bifidobacterial genome reflects this apparent metabolic adaptation to a complex carbohydrate-rich gastrointestinal tract environment as it encodes a large number of predicted carbohydrate-modifying enzymes. Different bifidobacterial strains may possess different carbohydrate utilizing abilities, as established by a number of studies reviewed here. Carbohydrate-degrading activities described for bifidobacteria and their relevance to the deliberate enhancement of number and/or activity of bifidobacteria in the gut are also discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Pokusaeva
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
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47
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Cellodextrin utilization by bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Appl Environ Microbiol 2011; 77:1681-90. [PMID: 21216899 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01786-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellodextrins, the incomplete hydrolysis products from insoluble cellulose, are accessible as a carbon source to certain members of the human gut microbiota, such as Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Transcription of the cldEFGC gene cluster of B. breve UCC2003 was shown to be induced upon growth on cellodextrins, implicating this cluster in the metabolism of these sugars. Phenotypic analysis of a B. breve UCC2003::cldE insertion mutant confirmed that the cld gene cluster is exclusively required for cellodextrin utilization by this commensal. Moreover, our results suggest that transcription of the cld cluster is controlled by a LacI-type regulator encoded by cldR, located immediately upstream of cldE. Gel mobility shift assays using purified CldR(His) (produced by the incorporation of a His(12)-encoding sequence into the 3' end of the cldC gene) indicate that the cldEFGC promoter is subject to negative control by CldR(His), which binds to two inverted repeats. Analysis by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) of medium samples obtained during growth of B. breve UCC2003 on a mixture of cellodextrins revealed its ability to utilize cellobiose, cellotriose, cellotetraose, and cellopentaose, with cellotriose apparently representing the preferred substrate. The cldC gene of the cld operon of B. breve UCC2003 is, to the best of our knowledge, the first described bifidobacterial β-glucosidase exhibiting hydrolytic activity toward various cellodextrins.
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48
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O'Connell Motherway M, Fitzgerald GF, van Sinderen D. Metabolism of a plant derived galactose-containing polysaccharide by Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. Microb Biotechnol 2010; 4:403-16. [PMID: 21375716 PMCID: PMC3818998 DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2010.00218.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we describe the functional characterization of the Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 gal locus, which is dedicated to the utilization of galactan, a plant‐derived polysaccharide. Using a combination of molecular approaches we conclude that the galA gene of B. breve UCC2003 encodes a β‐1,4‐endogalactanase producing galacto‐oligosaccharides, which are specifically internalized by an ABC transport system, encoded by galBCDE, and which are then hydrolysed to galactose moieties by a dedicated intracellular β‐galactosidase, specified by galG. The generated galactose molecules are presumed to be fed into the fructose‐6‐phosphate phosphoketolase pathway via the Leloir pathway, thereby allowing B. breve UCC2003 to use galactan as its sole carbon and energy source. In addition to these findings we demonstrate that GalR is a LacI‐type DNA‐binding protein, which not only appears to control transcription of the galCDEGR operon, but also that of the galA gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary O'Connell Motherway
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, National University of Ireland, Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland
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49
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Abstract
Since the discovery in 1899 of bifidobacteria as numerically dominant microbes in the feces of breast-fed infants, there have been numerous studies addressing their role in modulating gut microflora as well as their other potential health benefits. Because of this, they are frequently incorporated into foods as probiotic cultures. An understanding of their full interactions with intestinal microbes and the host is needed to scientifically validate any health benefits they may afford. Recently, the genome sequences of nine strains representing four species of Bifidobacterium became available. A comparative genome analysis of these genomes reveals a likely efficient capacity to adapt to their habitats, with B. longum subsp. infantis exhibiting more genomic potential to utilize human milk oligosaccharides, consistent with its habitat in the infant gut. Conversely, B. longum subsp. longum exhibits a higher genomic potential for utilization of plant-derived complex carbohydrates and polyols, consistent with its habitat in an adult gut. An intriguing observation is the loss of much of this genome potential when strains are adapted to pure culture environments, as highlighted by the genomes of B. animalis subsp. lactis strains, which exhibit the least potential for a gut habitat and are believed to have evolved from the B. animalis species during adaptation to dairy fermentation environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju-Hoon Lee
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, 1500 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Daniel J. O'Sullivan
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, 1500 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota 55108
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