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Fernández-Pérez S, Pérez-Andrés J, Gutiérrez S, Navasa N, Martínez-Blanco H, Ferrero MÁ, Vivas S, Vaquero L, Iglesias C, Casqueiro J, Rodríguez-Aparicio LB. The Human Digestive Tract Is Capable of Degrading Gluten from Birth. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21207696. [PMID: 33080976 PMCID: PMC7589136 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human gastrointestinal system has the capacity to metabolize dietary gluten. The capacity to degrade gliadin-derived peptide is present in humans from birth and increases during the first stages of life (up to 6–12 months of age). Fecal samples from 151 new-born and adult non-celiac disease (NCD) volunteers were collected, and glutenase and glianidase activities were evaluated. The capacity of total fecal proteins to metabolize 33-mer, 19-mer, and 13-mer gliadin peptides was also evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Feces from new-borns (meconium) showed glutenase and gliadinase activities, and peptidase activity against all three gliadin peptides. Maximal gluten degradative activity was observed in fecal samples from the youngest volunteers (0–12 months old). After the age of nine months, the gluten digestive capacity of gastrointestinal tract decreases and, from ±8 years old, individuals lose the ability to completely degrade toxic peptides. The gastrointestinal proteases involved in gluten digestion: elastase 2A, elastase 3B, and carboxipeptidase A1 are present from earlier stages of life. The human digestive tract contains the proteins capable of metabolizing gluten from birth, even before starting gluten intake. Humans are born with the ability to digest gluten and to completely degrade the potentially toxic gliadin-derived peptides (33-, 19-, and 13-mer).
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Fernández-Pérez
- Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (S.F.-P.); (S.G.); (N.N.); (H.M.-B.); (M.Á.F.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Jenifer Pérez-Andrés
- Área de Microbiología, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (J.P.-A.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Sergio Gutiérrez
- Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (S.F.-P.); (S.G.); (N.N.); (H.M.-B.); (M.Á.F.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Nicolás Navasa
- Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (S.F.-P.); (S.G.); (N.N.); (H.M.-B.); (M.Á.F.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Honorina Martínez-Blanco
- Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (S.F.-P.); (S.G.); (N.N.); (H.M.-B.); (M.Á.F.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Ferrero
- Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (S.F.-P.); (S.G.); (N.N.); (H.M.-B.); (M.Á.F.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Santiago Vivas
- Servicio de Gastroenterología, Hospital Universitario de León, 24008 Léon, Spain; (S.V.); (L.V.); (C.I.)
- Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Luis Vaquero
- Servicio de Gastroenterología, Hospital Universitario de León, 24008 Léon, Spain; (S.V.); (L.V.); (C.I.)
- Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Cristina Iglesias
- Servicio de Gastroenterología, Hospital Universitario de León, 24008 Léon, Spain; (S.V.); (L.V.); (C.I.)
- Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario de León, 24008 Léon, Spain
| | - Javier Casqueiro
- Área de Microbiología, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (J.P.-A.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Leandro B. Rodríguez-Aparicio
- Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; (S.F.-P.); (S.G.); (N.N.); (H.M.-B.); (M.Á.F.)
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-987-291227
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Caminero A, Herrán AR, Nistal E, Pérez-Andrés J, Vaquero L, Vivas S, Ruiz de Morales JMG, Albillos SM, Casqueiro J. Diversity of the cultivable human gut microbiome involved in gluten metabolism: isolation of microorganisms with potential interest for coeliac disease. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 88:309-19. [PMID: 24499426 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Gluten, a common component in the human diet, is capable of triggering coeliac disease pathogenesis in genetically predisposed individuals. Although the function of human digestive proteases in gluten proteins is quite well known, the role of intestinal microbiota in the metabolism of proteins is frequently underestimated. The aim of this study was the isolation and characterisation of the human gut bacteria involved in the metabolism of gluten proteins. Twenty-two human faecal samples were cultured with gluten as the principal nitrogen source, and 144 strains belonging to 35 bacterial species that may be involved in gluten metabolism in the human gut were isolated. Interestingly, 94 strains were able to metabolise gluten, 61 strains showed an extracellular proteolytic activity against gluten proteins, and several strains showed a peptidasic activity towards the 33-mer peptide, an immunogenic peptide in patients with coeliac disease. Most of the strains were classified within the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, mainly from the genera Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Clostridium and Bifidobacterium. In conclusion, the human intestine exhibits a large variety of bacteria capable of utilising gluten proteins and peptides as nutrients. These bacteria could have an important role in gluten metabolism and could offer promising new treatment modalities for coeliac disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Caminero
- Instituto de Biología Molecular, Genómica y Proteómica (INBIOMIC), Universidad de León, León, Spain
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