Project description:This work reports a Lactobacillus rossiae strain (L. rossiae D87) isolated from sourdough that synthesizes putrescine - a biogenic amine that raises food safety and spoilage concerns - from arginine via the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) pathway. The odc and potE genes were identified and sequenced. These genes respectively encode ornithine decarboxylase (Odc), which participates in the decarboxylation of ornithine to putrescine, and the ornithine/putrescine exchanger (PotE), which exchanges ornithine for putrescine. Transcriptional analysis showed that odc and potE form an operon that is regulated transcriptionally by ornithine in a dose-dependent manner. To explore the possible role of the ODC pathway as an acid stress resistance mechanism for this bacterium, the effect of acidic pHs on its transcriptional regulation and on putrescine biosynthesis was analysed. Acidic pHs induced the transcription of the odc-potE genes and the production of putrescine over that seen at neutral pH. Further, putrescine production via the ODC system improved the survival of L. rossiae D87 by counteracting the acidification of the cytoplasm when the cells were subjected to acidic conditions. These results suggest the ODC pathway of L. rossiae D87 provides a biochemical defence mechanism against acidic environments.
Project description:Among the oligosaccharides that may positively affect the gut microbiota, xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) and arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) possess promising functional properties. Ingestion of XOS has been reported to contribute to anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, immune-modulatory and anti-diabetic activities. Because of the structural complexity and chemical heterogeneity, complete degradation of xylan-containing plant polymers requires the synergistic activity of several enzymes. Endo-xylanases and ?-D-xylosidases, collectively termed xylanases, represent the two key enzymes responsible for the sequential hydrolysis of xylan. Xylanase cocktails are used on an industrial scale for biotechnological purposes. Lactobacillus rossiae DSM 15814(T) can utilize an extensive set of carbon sources, an ability that is likely to contribute to its adaptive ability. In this study, the capacity of this strain to utilize XOS, xylan, D-xylose and L-arabinose was investigated.Genomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed the presence of two gene clusters, designated xyl and ara, encoding proteins predicted to be responsible for XOS uptake and hydrolysis and D-xylose utilization, and L-arabinose metabolism, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence of one of the genes of the xyl gene cluster, LROS_1108 (designated here as xylA), shows high similarity to (predicted) ?-D-xylosidases encoded by various lactic acid bacteria, and belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 43. Heterologously expressed XylA was shown to completely hydrolyse XOS to xylose and showed optimal activity at pH 6.0 and 40 °C. Furthermore, ?-D-xylosidase activity of L. rossiae DSM 15814(T) was also measured under sourdough conditions.This study highlights the ability of L. rossiae DSM 15814(T) to utilize XOS, which is a very useful trait when selecting starters with specific metabolic performances for sourdough fermentation or as probiotics.