Project description:The gut bacterium Coprococcus sp. ART55/1 has been found to encode two genes containing glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) catalytic domains. These genes are hypothesised to impact upon the ability of this bacteria to utilise different carbon sources. To further investigate the role of these genes, as well as the wider transcriptome, Coprococcus sp. ART55/1 was grown on five different carbon sources - beta-glucan, lichenan, cellobiose, glucose and glucomannan - and the transcriptional response was investigated using RNA sequencing.
Project description:A clone encoding carboxymethylcellulase activity was isolated during functional screening of a human gut metagenomic library using Lactococcus lactis MG1363 as heterologous host. The insert sequence revealed a glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) catalytic domain with sequence similarity to a gene from Coprococcus sp. ART55/1, which is closely related to Coprocococcus eutactus. Surveys of available genomes indicated a limited distribution of GH9 domains among dominant human colonic anaerobes. Genomes of two Coprococcus-related strains showed the presence of two GH9-encoding and four GH5-encoding genes, however, the strains did not appear to be able to degrade cellulose. Instead, they grew well on beta-glucans and one of the strains also showed growth on galactomannan, galactan and glucomannan. Gene expression and proteomic analysis of Coprococcus sp. ART55/1 grown on cellobiose, beta-glucan and lichenan led to a similar change in expression in comparison to glucose. On beta-glucan and lichenan only, one of the four GH5 genes was strongly upregulated. Growth on glucomannan lead to a transcriptional response of many genes, in particular a strong upregulation of glycoside hydrolases involved in mannan degradation. Thus, beta-glucans are a major growth substrate for species related to Coprococcus eutactus, with glucomannan and galactans alternative substrates for some strains.
