Starch-Binding Domain Affects Catalysis in Two Lactobacillus α-Amylases

A new starch-binding domain (SBD) was recently described in α-amylases from three lactobacilli (Lactobacillus amylovorus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus manihotivorans). Usually, the SBD is formed by 100 amino acids, but the SBD sequences of the mentioned lactobacillus α-amylases consist of almost 500 amino acids that are organized in tandem repeats. The three lactobacillus amylase genes share more than 98% sequence identity. In spite of this identity, the SBD structures seem to be quite different. To investigate whether the observed differences in the SBDs have an effect on the hydrolytic capability of the enzymes, a kinetic study of L. amylovorus and L. plantarum amylases was developed, with both enzymes acting on several starch sources in granular and gelatinized forms. Results showed that the amylolytic capacities of these enzymes are quite different; the L. amylovorus α-amylase is, on average, 10 times more efficient than the L. plantarum enzyme in hydrolyzing all the tested polymeric starches, with only a minor difference in the adsorption capacities.     

Development of an amylolytic Lactobacillus plantarum silage strain expressing the Lactobacillus amylovorus alpha-amylase gene.

An amylolytic Lactobacillus plantarum silage strain with the starch-degrading ability displayed by Lactobacillus amylovorus was developed. An active fragment of the gene coding for alpha-amylase production in L. amylovorus was cloned and integrated into the chromosome of the competitive inoculant strain L. plantarum Lp80 at the cbh locus. The alpha-amylase gene fragment was also introduced into L. plantarum Lp80 on an autoreplicative plasmid. Both constructions were also performed in the laboratory strain L. plantarum NCIB8826. All four recombinant strains secreted levels of amylase ranging from 23 to 69 U/liter, compared with 47 U/liter for L. amylovorus. Secretion levels were higher in L. plantarum NCIB8826 than in L. plantarum Lp80 derivatives and were higher in recombinant strains containing autoreplicative plasmids than in the corresponding integrants. The L. plantarum Lp80 derivative containing the L. amylovorus alpha-amylase gene fragment integrated into the host chromosome secreted alpha-amylase to a level comparable to that of L. amylovorus and was stable over 50 generations of growth under nonselective conditions. It grew to a higher cell density than either the parent strain or L. amylovorus in MRS medium containing a mixture of starch and glucose as the fermentable carbohydrate source. This recombinant alpha-amylolytic L. plantarum strain would therefore seem to have considerable potential as a silage inoculant for crops such as alfalfa, in which water-soluble carbohydrate levels are frequently low but starch is present as an alternative carbohydrate source.     

Alpha-amylase starch binding domains: cooperative effects of binding to starch granules of multiple tandemly arranged domains

The Lactobacillus amylovorus alpha-amylase starch binding domain (SBD) is a functional domain responsible for binding to insoluble starch. Structurally, this domain is dissimilar from other reported SBDs because it is composed of five identical tandem modules of 91 amino acids each. To understand adsorption phenomena specific to this SBD, the importance of their modular arrangement in relationship to binding ability was investigated. Peptides corresponding to one, two, three, four, or five modules were expressed as His-tagged proteins. Protein binding assays showed an increased capacity of adsorption as a function of the number of modules, suggesting that each unit of the SBD may act in an additive or synergic way to optimize binding to raw starch.     

Comparative analysis of amylolytic lactobacilli and Lactobacillus plantarum as potential silage inoculants

Abstract Two starch-degrading Lactobacillus strains, Lactobacillus amylovorus NRRLB4540 and Lactobacillus amylophilus NCIB11546, were assessed for their potential as silage inoculants. Lactobacillus amylovorus was considered suitable as a silage inoculant for crops which are low in water-soluble carbohydrate, but contain starch, which is unavailable to most conventional silage inoculants. This was on the basis of it exhibiting similar growth characteristics to an inoculant strain of Lactobacillus plantarum and secreting an amylase which was optimally active in the silage pH range. Lactobacillus amylophilus was found to be intolerant of low acid conditions but displayed considerable potential for the industrial production of lactic acid from inexpensive starch-based substrates as it fermented sugars to the desirable L(+) isomer of lactic acid only.     

植物乳杆菌Lp-2的高密度发酵

高密度培养植物乳杆菌是制作其发酵剂的重要环节。首先,研究了不同的溶氧和pH对植物乳杆菌的分批发酵的影响。在分批发酵的基础上,为进一步提高发酵液中的菌体浓度,进行了补料分批发酵实验。最终通过对蔗糖反馈补料发酵试验对比改造获得了pH反馈补料发酵工艺。此发酵补料工艺可以控制蔗糖残糖量始终处于较低的水平,因此获得了最高的菌体产量。菌体干重达到13.56g/L,较分批培养提高90.05%。     

Synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid by lactic acid bacteria isolated from a variety of Italian cheeses

The concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in 22 Italian cheese varieties that differ in several technological traits markedly varied from 0.26 to 391 mg kg(-1). Presumptive lactic acid bacteria were isolated from each cheese variety (total of 440 isolates) and screened for the capacity to synthesize GABA. Only 61 isolates showed this activity and were identified by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Twelve species were found. Lactobacillus paracasei PF6, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PR1, Lactococcus lactis PU1, Lactobacillus plantarum C48, and Lactobacillus brevis PM17 were the best GABA-producing strains during fermentation of reconstituted skimmed milk. Except for L. plantarum C48, all these strains were isolated from cheeses with the highest concentrations of GABA. A core fragment of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) DNA was isolated from L. paracasei PF6, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PR1, L. lactis PU1, and L. plantarum C48 by using primers based on two highly conserved regions of GAD. A PCR product of ca. 540 bp was found for all the strains. The amino acid sequences deduced from nucleotide sequence analysis showed 98, 99, 90, and 85% identity to GadB of L. plantarum WCFS1 for L. paracasei PF6, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PR1, L. lactis PU1, and L. plantarum C48, respectively. Except for L. lactis PU1, the three lactobacillus strains survived and synthesized GABA under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The findings of this study provide a potential basis for exploiting selected cheese-related lactobacilli to develop health-promoting dairy products enriched in GABA.     

Tyrosine-containing peptides are precursors of tyramine produced by lactobacillus plantarum strain IR BL0076 isolated from wine

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Biogenic amines are molecules with allergenic properties. They are found in fermented products and are synthesized by lactic acid bacteria through the decarboxylation of amino acids present in the food matrix. The concentration of biogenic amines in fermented foodstuffs is influenced by many environmental factors, and in particular, biogenic amine accumulation depends on the quantity of available precursors. Enological practices which lead to an enrichment in nitrogen compounds therefore favor biogenic amine production in wine. Free amino acids are the only known precursors for the synthesis of biogenic amines, and no direct link has previously been demonstrated between the use of peptides by lactic acid bacteria and biogenic amine synthesis. RESULTS: Here we demonstrate for the first time that a Lactobacillus plantarum strain isolated from a red wine can produce the biogenic amine tyramine from peptides containing tyrosine. In our conditions, most of the tyramine was produced during the late exponential growth phase, coinciding with the expression of the tyrDC and tyrP genes. The DNA sequences of tyrDC and tyrP in this strain share 98% identity with those in Lactobacillus brevis consistent with horizontal gene transfer from L. brevis to L. plantarum. CONCLUSION: Peptides amino acids are precursors of biogenic amines for Lactobacillus plantarum strain IR BL0076.     

1株植物乳杆菌的抑菌作用及其生物学特性的研究

植物乳杆菌（Lactobacillus plantarum）是乳酸杆菌中的一种,常存在于发酵的蔬菜和果汁中。植物乳杆菌作为人体肠道的益生菌群,具有维持肠道菌群平衡、提高机体免疫力和促进营养物质吸收等多种作用。研究从市售腌渍蔬菜中分离筛选获得一株植物乳杆菌,以9种菌作为指示菌,采用牛津杯琼脂扩散法检测筛选菌株的抑菌谱大小。结果表明,该菌株能较强的抑制大肠杆菌、柠檬色葡萄球菌、藤黄微球菌和枯草芽孢杆菌等指示菌。此外,研究了菌株对温度的稳定性,p H值的耐受性及其酶的敏感性等生物学特性,结果显示该株植物乳杆菌菌株具有良好的热稳定性,酸碱稳定性,并且对3种蛋白酶具有很好的敏感性。这为今后深入研究与开发植物乳杆菌奠定了基础。     

Isolation,characterization and inhibition by acarbose of the alpha-amylase from Lactobacillus fermentum: comparison with Lb. manihotivorans and Lb. plantarum amylases

Extracellular alpha-amylase from Lactobacillus fermentum (FERMENTA) was purified by glycogen precipitation and ion exchange chromatography. The purification was approximately 28-fold with a 27% yield. The FERMENTA molecular mass (106,000 Da) is in the same range as the ones determined for L. amylovorus (AMYLOA), L. plantarum (PLANTAA) and L. manihotivorans (MANIHOA) alpha-amylases. The amino acid composition of FERMENTA differs from the other lactobacilli considered here, but however, indicates that the peptidic sequence contains two equal parts: the N-terminal catalytic part; and the C-terminal repeats. The isoelectric point of FERMENTA, PLANTAA, MANIHOA are approximately the same (3.6). The FERMENTA optimum pH (5.0) is slightly more acidic and the optimum temperature is lower (40 degrees C). Raw starch hydrolysis catalyzed by all three amylases liberates maltotriose and maltotretaose. Maltose is also produced by FERMENTA and MANIHOA. Maltohexaose FERMENTA catalyzed hydrolysis produces maltose and maltotriose. Finally, kinetics of FERMENTA, PLANTAA and MANIHOA using amylose as a substrate and acarbose as an inhibitor, were carried out. Statistical analysis of kinetic data, expressed using a general velocity equation and assuming rapid equilibrium, showed that: (1) in the absence of inhibitor k(cat)/Km are, respectively, 1x10(9), 12.6x10(9) and 3.2x10(9) s(-1) M(-1); and (2) the inhibition of FERMENTA is of the mixed non-competitive type (K(1i)=5.27 microM; L(1i)=1.73 microM) while the inhibition of PLANTAA and MANIHOA is of the uncompetitive type (L(1i)=1.93 microM and 1.52 microM, respectively). Whatever the inhibition type, acarbose is a strong inhibitor of these Lactobacillus amylases. These results indicate that, as found in porcine and barley amylases, Lactobacillus amylases contain in addition to the active site, a soluble carbohydrate (substrate or product) binding site.     

Extent of genetic lesions of the arginine and pyrimidine biosynthetic pathways in Lactobacillus plantarum,L. paraplantarum,L. pentosus,and L. casei: prevalence of CO(2)-dependent auxotrophs and characterization of deficient arg genes in L. plantarum

Lactic acid bacteria require rich media since, due to mutations in their biosynthetic genes, they are unable to synthesize numerous amino acids and nucleobases. Arginine biosynthesis and pyrimidine biosynthesis have a common intermediate, carbamoyl phosphate (CP), whose synthesis requires CO(2). We investigated the extent of genetic lesions in both the arginine biosynthesis and pyrimidine biosynthesis pathways in a collection of lactobacilli, including 150 strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, 32 strains of L. pentosus, 15 strains of L. paraplantarum, and 10 strains of L. casei. The distribution of prototroph and auxotroph phenotypes varied between species. All L. casei strains, no L. paraplantarum strains, two L. pentosus strains, and seven L. plantarum strains required arginine for growth. Arginine auxotrophs were more frequently found in L. plantarum isolated from milk products than in L. plantarum isolated from fermented plant products or humans; association with dairy products might favor arginine auxotrophy. In L. plantarum the argCJBDF genes were functional in most strains, and when they were inactive, only one gene was mutated in more than one-half of the arginine auxotrophs. Random mutation may have generated these auxotrophs since different arg genes were inactivated (there were single point mutations in three auxotrophs and nonrevertible genetic lesions in four auxotrophs). These data support the hypothesis that lactic acid bacteria evolve by progressively loosing unnecessary genes upon adaptation to specific habitats, with genome evolution towards cumulative DNA degeneration. Although auxotrophy for only uracil was found in one L. pentosus strain, a high CO(2) requirement (HCR) for arginine and pyrimidine was common; it was found in 74 of 207 Lactobacillus strains tested. These HCR auxotrophs may have had their CP cellular pool-related genes altered or deregulated.     

The effect of temperature and Lactobacillus amylovorus and Lact. plantarum, applied at ensiling, on wheat silage

The effects of applying Lactobacillus plantarum and Lact. amylovorus at ensiling on wheat silage stored at 25 and41 °C was studied under laboratory conditions. The inoculants were applied at 10⁶ cfu g⁻¹.Silages with no additives served as controls. Three jars per treatment were sampled on days 2, 8 and 60 after ensiling, for chemical and microbiological analyses. After the ensiling period, the silages were subjected to an aerobic stability test. The control and Lact. plantarum inoculated wheat fermented faster at 25 than at 41 °C, whereas silages inoculated with Lact. amylovorus fermented faster at 41 °C. This was apparent from the rate of pH decrease and from the contents of residual sugars and lactic acid in the final silages. The numbers of lactobacilli in the control and Lact. plantarum silages at 41 °C after 2 and 8 days of ensiling were lower than in the corresponding silages at 25 °C. For the Lact. amylovorus silage the opposite held true. The control silages at both temperatures and the Lact. plantarum silage at 41 °C were the most stable silages under aerobic exposure.     

Taxonomy of obligately homofermentative and facultatively heterofermentative lactobacilli in pig faeces

AIMS: Identification and characterization of obligately homofermentative and facultatively heterofermentative strains of Lactobacillus spp. isolated from the faeces of pigs that had been raised under different conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The phenotypic relatedness of the isolated strains and reference strains were determined by numerical analysis of total soluble cell protein patterns and simple physiological and biochemical tests. Of the 23 strains isolated from faeces, nine were obligately homofermentative and 14 facultatively heterofermentative. The strains clustered at r > or = 0.61 with Lactobacillus amylovorus (seven strains), Lactobacillus crispatus (one strain), Lactobacillus plantarum (14 strains) and Lactobacillus intestinalis (one strain). CONCLUSIONS: Results obtained from the physiological and biochemical tests confirmed the identity of the isolates as determined by numerical analysis of total soluble cell protein profiles. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report on the association of Lact. crispatus and Lact. intestinalis with the gastro-intestinal tract of pigs.     

Lactobacillus plantarum ldhL gene: overexpression and deletion.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a lactic acid bacterium that converts pyruvate to L-(+)- and D-(-)-lactate with stereospecific enzymes designated L-(+)- and D-(-)-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), respectively. A gene (designated ldhL) that encodes L-(+)-lactate dehydrogenase from L. plantarum DG301 was cloned by complementation in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the ldhL gene predicted a protein of 320 amino acids closely related to that of Lactobacillus pentosus. A multicopy plasmid bearing the ldhL gene without modification of its expression signals was introduced in L. plantarum. L-LDH activity was increased up to 13-fold through this gene dosage effect. However, this change had hardly any effect on the production of L-(+)- and D-(-)-lactate. A stable chromosomal deletion in the ldhL gene was then constructed in L. plantarum by a two-step homologous recombination process. Inactivation of the gene resulted in the absence of L-LDH activity and in exclusive production of the D isomer of lactate. However, the global concentration of lactate in the culture supernatant remained unchanged.     

Expression of Bacillus subtilis phytase in Lactobacillus plantarum 755

Phytase enzymes can increase the nutritional value of food and feed by liberating inorganic phosphate from phytate, the major storage form of phosphorus in plants. The phytase (phyC) from Bacillus subtilis VTT E-68013 was expressed in Lactobacillus plantarum strain 755 using Lact. amylovorus alpha-amylase secretion signals. In an overnight cultivation in MRS medium containing cellobiose for induction of the alpha-amylase promoter, catalytically active phytase was secreted as a predominant extracellular protein. However, Western blot analysis revealed unprocessed and processed phytase in the cell fraction. Pulse chase experiments showed that the recombinant phytase was secreted at a slower rate in comparison to the native proteins of Lact. plantarum 755.     

A single residue mutation abolishes attachment of the CBM26 starch-binding domain from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus amylovorus</Emphasis> α-amylase

Starch is degraded by amylases that frequently have a modular structure composed of a catalytic domain and at least one non-catalytic domain that is involved in polysaccharide binding. The C-terminal domain from the Lactobacillus amylovorus α-amylase has an unusual architecture composed of five tandem starch-binding domains (SBDs). These domains belong to family 26 in the carbohydrate-binding modules (CBM) classification. It has been reported that members of this family have only one site for starch binding, where aromatic amino acids perform the binding function. In SBDs, fold similarities are better conserved than sequences; nevertheless, it is possible to identify in CBM26 members at least two aromatic residues highly conserved. We attempt to explain polysaccharide recognition for the L. amylovorus α–amylase SBD through site-directed mutagenesis of aromatic amino acids. Three amino acids were identified as essential for binding, two tyrosines and one tryptophan. Y18L and Y20L mutations were found to decrease the SBD binding capacity, but unexpectedly, the mutation at W32L led to a total loss of affinity, either with linear or ramified substrates. The critical role of Trp 32 in substrate binding confirms the presence of just one binding site in each α-amylase SBD.     

Identification and characterization of the novel LysM domain-containing surface protein Sep from Lactobacillus fermentum BR11 and its use as a peptide fusion partner in Lactobacillus and Lactococcus

Examination of supernatant fractions from broth cultures of Lactobacillus fermentum BR11 revealed the presence of a number of proteins, including a 27-kDa protein termed Sep. The amino-terminal sequence of Sep was determined, and the gene encoding it was cloned and sequenced. Sep is a 205-amino-acid protein and contains a 30-amino-acid secretion signal and has overall homology (between 39 and 92% identity) with similarly sized proteins of Lactobacillus reuteri, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Lactobacillus plantarum. The carboxy-terminal 81 amino acids of Sep also have strong homology (86% identity) to the carboxy termini of the aggregation-promoting factor (APF) surface proteins of Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus johnsonii. The mature amino terminus of Sep contains a putative peptidoglycan-binding LysM domain, thereby making it distinct from APF proteins. We have identified a common motif within LysM domains that is shared with carbohydrate binding YG motifs which are found in streptococcal glucan-binding proteins and glucosyltransferases. Sep was investigated as a heterologous peptide expression vector in L. fermentum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactococcus lactis MG1363. Modified Sep containing an amino-terminal six-histidine epitope was found associated with the cells but was largely present in the supernatant in the L. fermentum, L. rhamnosus, and L. lactis hosts. Sep as well as the previously described surface protein BspA were used to express and secrete in L. fermentum or L. rhamnosus a fragment of human E-cadherin, which contains the receptor region for Listeria monocytogenes. This study demonstrates that Sep has potential for heterologous protein expression and export in lactic acid bacteria.     

Expression in Escherichia coli of native and chimeric phenolic acid decarboxylases with modified enzymatic activities and method for screening recombinant E. coli strains expressing these enzymes

Four bacterial phenolic acid decarboxylases (PAD) from Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus pumilus were expressed in Escherichia coli, and their activities on p-coumaric, ferulic, and caffeic acids were compared. Although these four enzymes displayed 61% amino acid sequence identity, they exhibit different activities for ferulic and caffeic acid metabolism. To elucidate the domain(s) that determines these differences, chimeric PAD proteins were constructed and expressed in E. coli by exchanging their individual carboxy-terminal portions. Analysis of the chimeric enzyme activities suggests that the C-terminal region may be involved in determining PAD substrate specificity and catalytic capacity. In order to test phenolic acid toxicity, the levels of growth of recombinant E. coli displaying and not displaying PAD activity were compared on medium supplemented with different concentrations of phenolic acids and with differing pHs. Though these acids already have a slight inhibitory effect on E. coli, vinyl phenol derivatives, created during decarboxylation of phenolic acids, were much more inhibitory to the E. coli control strain. To take advantage of this property, a solid medium with the appropriate pH and phenolic acid concentration was developed; in this medium the recombinant E. coli strains expressing PAD activity form colonies approximately five times smaller than those formed by strains devoid of PAD activity.     

Cloning of a gene encoding raw-starch-digesting amylase from a Cytophaga sp. and its expression in Escherichia coli

A raw-starch-digesting amylase (RSDA) gene from a Cytophaga sp. was cloned and sequenced. The predicted protein product contained 519 amino acids and had high amino acid identity to alpha-amylases from three Bacillus species. Only one of the Bacillus alpha-amylases has raw-starch-digesting capability, however. The RSDA, expressed in Escherichia coli, had properties similar to those of the enzyme purified from the Cytophaga sp.     

Allosteric and non-allosteric phosphofructokinases from Lactobacilli. Purification and properties of phosphofructokinases from L. plantarum and L. acidophilus.

Phosphofructokinase (ATP : D-fructose-6-phosphate 1 phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.11) from two different lactobacilli, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus were isolated and purified. Both enzymes have a molecular weight of 154 000 and consist of four subunits of identical size. Antisera from sheep immunized against the purified phosphofructokinase from L. plantarum showed immunologic cross reaction with the enzyme from L. acidophilus. In spite of the close molecular relationship indicated by the immunologic cross reaction, the kinetic behaviour of the two enzymes was strikingly different. Phosphofructokinase from L. plantarum showed pure Michaelis-Menten behaviour. Phosphofructokinase from L. acidophilus, however, showed sigmoidal substrate saturation curves for fructose 6-phosphate in the presence of slightly alkaline pH and high ATP concentrations; it was activated by fructose 1,6-biphosphate and inhibited by ADP. The results indicate that even enzymes which are structurally very similar may differ greatly with respect to their kinetic and regulatory properties and suggest that allosteric and non-allosteric phosphofructokinases have the same origin in evolution.