Correlational analysis of the glycometabolism and functionalities of probiotic lactic acid bacteria.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K22573
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0601:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
• Principal Investigator: Sushida Hirotoshi 国立研究開発法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構, 食品研究部門, 研究員 (10885510)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 乳酸菌 / プロバイオティクス / バイオインフォマティクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Transcriptomic analysis of Lactococcus cremoris strain 7-1 independently cultured with five carbon sources revealed that 16 Differential Expressed Genes (DEGs) showed correlation between expression levels and mucin binding abilities.
Whole genomic sequencing demonstrated that strain 7-1 harbored the genes coding previously described adhesins EF-Tu and GAPDH, whereas they were not included in DEGs detected in this research.
On the basis of hypothesis that sugar-dependent properties of strain 7-1 are mainly regulated by the expression of specific gene, detailed functions of 16 DEGs were predicted by using various tools including SignalP, TMHMM, and InterProScan since the almost of them had been annotated as hypothetical proteins. A predicted adhesin-like protein, which involves domain of unknown function, has been supposed to be integrated in variable mucin-binding ability of strain 7-1 via carbohydrate metabolism-dependent transcriptional regulation.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ムチン付着性は腸管上皮に対する微生物の定着性に関与しており、プロバイオティクスとして機能性乳酸菌を選抜する上で重要な指標となる。
本研究ではプロバイオティクス候補乳酸菌における炭素源別の遺伝子発現プロファイルを明らかにし、細胞凝集等を介したムチン付着性への関与が推定される機能未知タンパク質を同定した。
これらは微生物-宿主間の新たな分子的相互作用の存在を示唆するものであると同時に、プロバイオティクス菌株の選抜マーカーとしての利用も期待されることから、産業的な乳酸菌利用の更なる加速を目指す上での基盤的情報となるものである。