Abstract
The human intestine is densely populated by a microbial consortium whose metabolic activities are influenced by, among others, bifidobacteria. However, the genetic basis of adaptation of bifidobacteria to the human gut is poorly understood. Analysis of the 2,214,650-bp genome of Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010, a strain isolated from infant stool, revealed a nutrient-acquisition strategy that targets host-derived glycans, such as those present in mucin. Proteome and transcriptome profiling revealed a set of chromosomal loci responsible for mucin metabolism that appear to be under common transcriptional control and with predicted functions that allow degradation of various O-linked glycans in mucin. Conservation of the latter gene clusters in various B. bifidum strains supports the notion that host-derived glycan catabolism is an important colonization factor for B. bifidum with concomitant impact on intestinal microbiota ecology.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 19514-19519 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | PNAS |
Volume | 107 |
Issue number | 45 |
Early online date | 25 Oct 2010 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 9 Nov 2010 |
Keywords
- bifidobacterium
- feces
- gene expression profiling
- genome, bacterial
- genomics
- host-pathogen interactions
- humans
- infant, newborn
- intestines
- metabolic networks and pathways
- molecular sequence data
- mucins
- multigene family
- polysaccharides