Project description:Lactobacillus helveticus is a rod-shaped lactic acid bacterium that is widely used in the manufacture of fermented dairy foods and for production of bioactive peptides from milk proteins. Although L. helveticus is commonly associated with milk environments, phylogenetic studies show it is closely related to an intestinal species, Lactobacillus acidophilus, which has been shown to impart probiotic health benefits to humans. This relationship has fueled a prevailing hypothesis that L. helveticus is a highly specialized derivative of L. acidophilus which has adapted to acidified whey. However, L. helveticus has also been sporadically recovered from non-dairy environments, which argues the species may not be as highly specialized as is widely believed. This study employed genome sequence analysis and comparative genome hybridizations to investigate genomic diversity among L. helveticus strains collected from cheese, whey, and whiskey malt, as well as commercial cultures used in manufacture of cheese or bioactive dairy foods. Results revealed considerable variability in gene content between some L. helveticus strains, and indicated the species should not be viewed as a strict dairy-niche specialist. In addition, comparative genomic analyses provided new insight on several industrially and ecologically important attributes of L. helveticus that may facilitate commercial strain selection.
Project description:Lactobacillus casei is remarkably adaptive to diverse habitats. To understand the evolution and adaptation of Lb. casei strains isolated from different environments, the gene content of 22 Lb. casei strains isolated from various habitats (cheeses, n=8; plant materials, n=8; and human sources, n=6) were examined by comparative genome hybridization with an Lb. casei ATCC 334-based microarray.
Project description:Whole genome transcriptional profiling was used to characterize the response of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 human isolate during challenge with oleuropein. Twelve independent experiments were performed and mixed at random in groups of four for total of three RNA samples. The transcriptional profile shows that Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 adapts its metabolic capacity to acquire certain carbohydrates and repress the expression of genes involved in fatty acid biosyntheis. The transcriptomic datasets also revealed the downregulation of genes related to the biosynthesis of capsular polysaccharides and genes coding for ABC-type transporters. In addition, induction of oligopeptide permeases is also part of the response of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 to oleuropein.
