Lactobacillus casei ferments the N-Acetylglucosamine moiety of fucosyl-α-1,3-N-acetylglucosamine and excretes L-fucose.

ABSTRACT: We have previously characterized from Lactobacillus casei BL23 three α-L-fucosidases, AlfA, AlfB, and AlfC, which hydrolyze in vitro natural fucosyl-oligosaccharides. In this work, we have shown that L. casei is able to grow in the presence of fucosyl-α-1,3-N-acetylglucosamine (Fuc-α-1,3-GlcNAc) as a carbon source. Interestingly, L. casei excretes the L-fucose moiety during growth on Fuc-α-1,3-GlcNAc, indicating that only the N-acetylglucosamine moiety is being metabolized. Analysis of the genomic sequence of L. casei BL23 shows that downstream from alfB, which encodes the α-L-fucosidase AlfB, a gene, alfR, that encodes a transcriptional regulator is present. Divergently from alfB, three genes, alfEFG, that encode proteins with homology to the enzyme IIAB (EIIAB), EIIC, and EIID components

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Diaz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3370482 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature