Project description:Although oral administration of Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) relieves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms in a clinical setting, the underlying mechanisms remain undetermined. Herein, we confirmed that B. longum ameliorated defecation habits and alleviated visceral hypersensitivity in water avoidance stress (WAS) rats. Further analysis revealed that B. longum enhanced mucosal repair, promoted the production of lysozyme, and ameliorated microbiota dysbiosis in WAS rats. These activities are all closely correlated with Paneth cell function. In vitro, we incubated primary cultured enteroids with B. longum and found that this bacterium promoted the proliferation of these organoids, which may be attributed to the up-regulated expression of the stem niche factors WNT3A and TGF-β which are serected by the Paneth cells. On the basis of our findings, we propose that B. longum relieves IBS by restoring the antimicrobial activity and stem niche maintenance functions of Paneth cells.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of Bifidobacterium longum mutant versus wt strain in exponentional phase Keywords: Characterization of natural mutant
Project description:Bifidobacteria are among the most abundant microorganisms inhabiting the intestine of humans and many animals. Within the genus Bifidobacterium, several beneficial effects have been attributed to strains belonging to the subspecies Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, which are often found in infants and adults. The increasing numbers of sequenced genomes belonging to these two subspecies, and the availability of novel computational tools focused on predicting glycolytic abilities, with the aim of understanding the capabilities of degrading specific carbohydrates, allowed us to depict the potential glycoside hydrolases (GH) of these bacteria, with a focus on those GH profiles that differ in the two subspecies. We performed an in silico examination of 188 sequenced B. longum genomes and depicted the commonly present and strain-specific GHs and GH families among representatives of this species. Additionally, GH profiling, genome-based and 16S rRNA-based clustering analyses showed that the subspecies assignment of some strains does not properly match with their genetic background. Furthermore, the analysis of the potential GH component allowed the distinction of clear GH patterns. Some of the GH activities, and their link with the two subspecies under study, are further discussed. Overall, our in silico analysis poses some questions about the suitability of considering the GH activities of B. longum subsp. longum and B. longum subsp. infantis to gain insight into the characterization and classification of these two subspecies with probiotic interest.
Project description:We report the complete genome sequence of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum JCM7052, isolated from human feces in Japan. This strain has the capability of growing on and utilizing gum arabic as an energy source. The complete genome is 2,273,627 bp long, with 1,929 protein-coding genes and 59.9 mol% G+C content.
