Dadi P, Pauling CW, Shrivastava A, Shah DD. Synthesis of versatile neuromodulatory molecules by a gut microbial glutamate decarboxylase.
BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.02.583032. [PMID:
38915512 PMCID:
PMC11195143 DOI:
10.1101/2024.03.02.583032]
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Abstract
Dysbiosis of the microbiome correlates with many neurological disorders, yet very little is known about the chemistry that controls the production of neuromodulatory molecules by gut microbes. Here, we found that an enzyme glutamate decarboxylase (BfGAD) of a gut microbe Bacteroides fragilis forms multiple neuromodulatory molecules such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), hypotaurine, taurine, homotaurine, and β-alanine. We evolved BfGAD and doubled its taurine productivity. Additionally, we increased its specificity towards the substrate L-glutamate. Here, we provide a chemical strategy via which the BfGAD activity could be fine-tuned. In future, this strategy could be used to modulate the production of neuromodulatory molecules by gut microbes.
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