The role of conserved inulosucrase residues in the reaction and product specificity of Lactobacillus reuteri inulosucrase

The probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus?reuteri 121 produces two fructosyltransferase enzymes, a levansucrase and an inulosucrase. Although these two fructosyltransferase enzymes share high sequence similarity, they differ significantly in the type and size distribution of fructooligosaccharide products synthesized from sucrose, and in their activity levels. In order to examine the contribution of specific amino acids to such differences, 15 single and four multiple inulosucrase mutants were designed that affected residues that are conserved in inulosucrase enzymes, but not in levansucrase enzymes. The effects of the mutations were interpreted using the 3D structures of Bacillus?subtilis levansucrase (SacB) and Lactobacillus?johnsonii inulosucrase (InuJ). The wild-type inulosucrase synthesizes mostly fructooligosaccharides up to a degree of polymerization of 15 and relatively low amounts of inulin polymer. In contrast, wild-type levansucrase produces mainly levan polymer and fructooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization < 5. Although most of the inulosucrase mutants in this study behaved similarly to the wild-type enzyme, the mutation G416E, at the rim of the active site pocket in loop 415-423, increased the hydrolytic activity twofold, without significantly changing the transglycosylation activity. The septuple mutant GM4 (T413K, K415R, G416E, A425P, S442N, W486L, P516L), which included two residues from the above-mentioned loop 415-423, synthesized 1-kestose only, but at low efficiency. Mutation A538S, located behind the general acid/base, increased the enzyme activity two to threefold. Mutation N543S, located adjacent to the +1/+2 sub-site residue R544, resulted in synthesis of not such a wide variety of fructooligosaccharides than the wild-type enzyme. The present study demonstrates that the product specificity of inulosucrase is easily altered by protein engineering, obtaining inulosucrase variants with higher transglycosylation specificity, higher catalytic rates and different fructooligosaccharide size distributions, without changing the β(2-1) linkage type in the product.     

The probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC 533 produces high-molecular-mass inulin from sucrose by using an inulosucrase enzyme

Fructansucrase enzymes polymerize the fructose moiety of sucrose into levan or inulin fructans, with beta(2-6) and beta(2-1) linkages, respectively. The probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus johnsonii strain NCC 533 possesses a single fructansucrase gene (open reading frame AAS08734) annotated as a putative levansucrase precursor. However, (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the fructan product synthesized in situ revealed that this is of the inulin type. The ftf gene of L. johnsonii was cloned and expressed to elucidate its exact identity. The purified L. johnsonii protein was characterized as an inulosucrase enzyme, producing inulin from sucrose, as identified by (13)C NMR analysis. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis of the reaction products showed that InuJ synthesized, besides the inulin polymer, a broad range of fructose oligosaccharides. Maximum InuJ enzyme activity was observed in a pH range of 4.5 to 7.0, decreasing sharply at pH 7.5. InuJ exhibited the highest enzyme activity at 55 degrees C, with a drastic decrease at 60 degrees C. Calcium ions were found to have an important effect on enzyme activity and stability. Kinetic analysis showed that the transfructosylation reaction of the InuJ enzyme does not obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The non-Michaelian behavior of InuJ may be attributed to the oligosaccharides that were initially formed in the reaction and which may act as better acceptors than the growing polymer chain. This is only the second example of the isolation and characterization of an inulosucrase enzyme and its inulin (oligosaccharide) product from a Lactobacillus strain. Furthermore, this is the first Lactobacillus strain shown to produce inulin polymer in situ.     

Single amino acid residue changes in subsite −1 of levansucrase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zymomonas mobilis</Emphasis> 10232 strongly influence the enzyme activities and products

The −1 subsite of bacterial fructansucrases (FSs) (levansucrases and inulosucrases) plays an important role in the substrate recognition, binding and catalysis. Three residues (for example W47, W118 and R193, Zymomonas mobilis levansucrase numbering) at the −1 subsite are completely conserved among FSs. Site-directed mutational analysis showed that the substitutions of the three strictly conserved amino acid residues, W47N, W47H, W118N, W118H, R193K and R193H, significantly decreased enzyme activities and synthesis rates of levan, while the size of the synthesized oligosaccharides had been influenced. These experimental results, combined with 3D structure modeling, lead to our proposal that a single amino acid residue change in subsite −1 of levansucrase can influence change to the size and polarity of the sucrose binding pocket with a concomitant change to substrate binding and catalysis, and thus having an overall influence on the enzyme activities and products.     

Molecular characterization of inulosucrase from Leuconostoc citreum: a fructosyltransferase within a glucosyltransferase

The gene coding for inulosucrase in Leuconostoc citreum CW28, islA, was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme catalyzed inulin synthesis from sucrose like the wild-type enzyme. Inulosucrase presents an unusual structure: its N-terminal region is similar to the variable region of glucosyltransferases, its catalytic domain is similar to fructosyltransferases from various microorganisms, and its C-terminal domain presents similarity to the glucan binding domain from alternansucrase, a glucosyltransferase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1355. From sequence comparison, it was found that this fructosyltransferase is a natural chimeric enzyme resulting from the substitution of the catalytic domain of alternansucrase by a fructosyltransferase. Two different forms of the islA gene truncated in the C-terminal glucan binding domain were successfully expressed in E. coli and retained their ability to synthesize inulin but lost thermal stability. This is the first report of an inulosucrase bearing structural features of both glucosyltransferases and fructosyltransferases.     

Kinetic properties of an inulosucrase from Lactobacillus reuteri 121

Inulosucrases catalyze transfer of a fructose moiety from sucrose to a water molecule (hydrolysis) or to an acceptor molecule (transferase), yielding inulin. Bacterial inulin production is rare and a biochemical analysis of inulosucrase enzymes has not been reported. Here we report biochemical characteristics of a purified recombinant inulosucrase enzyme from Lactobacillus reuteri. It displayed Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics with substrate inhibition for the hydrolysis reaction. Kinetics of the transferase reaction is best described by the Hill equation, not reported before for these enzymes. A C-terminal deletion of 100 amino acids did not appear to affect enzyme activity or product formation. This truncated form of the enzyme was used for biochemical characterization.     

Identification of key amino acid residues in Neisseria polysaccharea amylosucrase

Amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea catalyzes the synthesis of an amylose-like polymer from sucrose. Sequence alignment revealed that it belongs to the glycoside hydrolase family 13. Site-directed mutagenesis enabled the identification of functionally important amino acid residues located at the active center. Asp-294 is proposed to act as the catalytic nucleophile and Glu-336 as general acid base catalyst in amylosucrase. The conserved Asp-401, His-195 and His-400 residues are critical for the enzymatic activity. These results provide strong support for the predicted close structural and functional relationship between the sucrose-glucosyltransferases and enzymes of the alpha-amylase family.     

Crystal structure of inulosucrase from Lactobacillus: insights into the substrate specificity and product specificity of GH68 fructansucrases

Fructansucrases (FSs) catalyze a transfructosylation reaction with sucrose as substrate to produce fructo-oligosaccharides and fructan polymers that contain either β-2,1 glycosidic linkages (inulin) or β-2,6 linkages (levan). Levan-synthesizing FSs (levansucrases) have been most extensively investigated, while detailed information on inulosucrases is limited. Importantly, the molecular basis of the different product specificities of levansucrases and inulosucrases is poorly understood.We have elucidated the three-dimensional structure of a truncated active bacterial GH68 inulosucrase, InuJ of Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC533 (residues 145-708), in its apo form, with a bound substrate (sucrose), and with a transfructosylation product. The sucrose binding pocket and the sucrose binding mode are virtually identical with those of GH68 levansucrases, confirming that both enzyme types use the same fully conserved structural framework for the binding and cleavage of the donor substrate sucrose in the active site. The binding mode of the first transfructosylation product 1-kestose (Fru-β(2-1)-Fru-α(2-1)-Glc, where Fru = fructose and Glc = glucose) in subsites − 1 to + 2 shows for the first time how inulin-type fructo-oligosaccharide bind in GH68 FS and how an inulin-type linkage can be formed. Surprisingly, observed interactions with the sugar in subsites + 1 and + 2 are provided by residues that are also present in levansucrases. The binding mode of 1-kestose and the presence of a more distant sucrose binding site suggest that residues beyond the + 2 subsite, in particular residues from the nonconserved 1B-1C loop, determine product linkage type specificity in GH68 FSs.     

Using Natural Variation to Investigate the Function of Individual Amino Acids in the Sucrose-Binding Box of Fructan:Fructan 6G-Fructosyltransferase (6G-FFT) in Product Formation

Enzymes of the glycosyl hydrolase family 32 are highly similar with respect to primary sequence but catalyze divergent reactions. Previously, the importance of the conserved sucrose-binding box in determining product specificity of onion fructan:fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase (6G-FFT) was established [Ritsema et al., 2004, Plant Mol. Biol. 54: 853–863]. Onion 6G-FFT synthesizes the complex fructan neo-series inulin by transferring fructose residues to either a terminal fructose or a terminal glucose residue. In the present study we have elucidated the molecular determinants of product specificity by substitution of individual amino acids of the sucrose binding box with amino acids that are present on homologous positions in other fructosyltransferases or vacuolar invertases. Substituting the presumed nucleophile Asp85 of the β-fructosidase motif resulted in an inactive enzyme. 6G-FFT mutants S87N and S87D did not change substrate or product specificities, whereas mutants N84Y and N84G resulted in an inactive enzyme. Most interestingly, mutants N84S, N84A, and N84Q added fructose residues preferably to a terminal fructose and hardly to the terminal glucose. This resulted in the preferential production of inulin-type fructans. Combining mutations showed that amino acid 84 determines product specificity of 6G-FFT irrespective of the amino acid at position 87.     

Biochemical properties of inulosucrase from Leuconostoc citreum CW28 used for inulin synthesis

Biochemical properties of inulosucrase from Leuconostoc citreum CW28, a potential biocatalyst for inulin synthesis, were determined in order to select optimal reaction conditions. The hydrolysis reaction was about 3.5 times more efficient than the transferase reaction. It was found that high sucrose concentrations (≈250 g L^-1) were required for maximum fructose transferase yields. High molecular weight inulin distributions were obtained with cell associated inulosucrase, while lower size products were associated to the activity of the free enzyme in solution. When using whole cells, mannitol was found as a by-product of the reaction resulting from the reduction of fructose released by sucrose hydrolysis. A 30 L pilot plant synthesis with 250 g L^-1 of sucrose was carried out using the cell associated inulosucrase resulting in 76% of the substrate being transformed to inulin.     

Characterization of a novel fructosyltransferase from Lactobacillus reuteri that synthesizes high-molecular-weight inulin and inulin oligosaccharides

Fructosyltransferase (FTF) enzymes produce fructose polymers (fructans) from sucrose. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of an FTF-encoding gene from Lactobacillus reuteri strain 121. A C-terminally truncated version of the ftf gene was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. When incubated with sucrose, the purified recombinant FTF enzyme produced large amounts of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) with beta-(2-->1)-linked fructosyl units, plus a high-molecular-weight fructan polymer (>10(7)) with beta-(2-->1) linkages (an inulin). FOS, but not inulin, was found in supernatants of L. reuteri strain 121 cultures grown on medium containing sucrose. Bacterial inulin production has been reported for only Streptococcus mutans strains. FOS production has been reported for a few bacterial strains. This paper reports the first-time isolation and molecular characterization of (i) a Lactobacillus ftf gene, (ii) an inulosucrase associated with a generally regarded as safe bacterium, (iii) an FTF enzyme synthesizing both a high molecular weight inulin and FOS, and (iv) an FTF protein containing a cell wall-anchoring LPXTG motif. The biological relevance and potential health benefits of an inulosucrase associated with an L. reuteri strain remain to be established.     

Synthesis of Fructooligosaccharides by IslA4, a truncated inulosucrase from Leuconostoc citreum

Background

IslA4 is a truncated single domain protein derived from the inulosucrase IslA, which is a multidomain fructosyltransferase produced by Leuconostoc citreum. IslA4 can synthesize high molecular weight inulin from sucrose, with a residual sucrose hydrolytic activity. IslA4 has been reported to retain the product specificity of the multidomain enzyme.

Results

Screening experiments to evaluate the influence of the reactions conditions, especially the sucrose and enzyme concentrations, on IslA4 product specificity revealed that high sucrose concentrations shifted the specificity of the reaction towards fructooligosaccharides (FOS) synthesis, which almost eliminated inulin synthesis and led to a considerable reduction in sucrose hydrolysis. Reactions with low IslA4 activity and a high sucrose activity allowed for high levels of FOS synthesis, where 70% sucrose was used for transfer reactions, with 65% corresponding to transfructosylation for the synthesis of FOS.

Conclusions

Domain truncation together with the selection of the appropriate reaction conditions resulted in the synthesis of various FOS, which were produced as the main transferase products of inulosucrase (IslA4). These results therefore demonstrate that bacterial fructosyltransferase could be used for the synthesis of inulin-type FOS.     

Crystal Structure and Substrate Recognition of Cellobionic Acid Phosphorylase,Which Plays a Key Role in Oxidative Cellulose Degradation by Microbes

The microbial oxidative cellulose degradation system is attracting significant research attention after the recent discovery of lytic polysaccharide mono-oxygenases. A primary product of the oxidative and hydrolytic cellulose degradation system is cellobionic acid (CbA), the aldonic acid form of cellobiose. We previously demonstrated that the intracellular enzyme belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 94 from cellulolytic fungus and bacterium is cellobionic acid phosphorylase (CBAP), which catalyzes reversible phosphorolysis of CbA into glucose 1-phosphate and gluconic acid (GlcA). In this report, we describe the biochemical characterization and the three-dimensional structure of CBAP from the marine cellulolytic bacterium Saccharophagus degradans. Structures of ligand-free and complex forms with CbA, GlcA, and a synthetic disaccharide product from glucuronic acid were determined at resolutions of up to 1.6 Å. The active site is located near the dimer interface. At subsite +1, the carboxylate group of GlcA and CbA is recognized by Arg-609 and Lys-613. Additionally, one residue from the neighboring protomer (Gln-190) is involved in the carboxylate recognition of GlcA. A mutational analysis indicated that these residues are critical for the binding and catalysis of the aldonic and uronic acid acceptors GlcA and glucuronic acid. Structural and sequence comparisons with other glycoside hydrolase family 94 phosphorylases revealed that CBAPs have a unique subsite +1 with a distinct amino acid residue conservation pattern at this site. This study provides molecular insight into the energetically efficient metabolic pathway of oxidized sugars that links the oxidative cellulolytic pathway to the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways in cellulolytic microbes.     

Site-directed mutagenesis establishes aspartic acids-227 and -342 as essential for enzyme activity in an isomalto-dextranase from Arthrobacter globiformis

Isomalto-dextranase, from Arthrobacter globiformis T6, is a member of the glycoside hydrolase family 27. However, the alignments of the whole amino acid sequence are distinct from other members of this family. The enzymes cleave the glycosidic bond of the substrate in two different manners: either retaining or inverting the anomeric configuration. We believe that a retaining enzyme is involved in a two-step, double-displacement mechanism utilizing active site carboxylic acids as the nucleophile and general acid/base catalysts in the hydrolytic reaction. The critical amino acid residues at the isomalto-dextranase active site that catalyzes the hydrolysis reaction of dextran have been identified and the roles of nine amino acid residues (D107, D163, D227, D295, D340, D342, D373, D396, and E420) in the isomalto-dextranase from A. globiformis analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. Of 15 mutant enzymes that were prepared, eight had reduced activities for dextran hydrolysis. Aspartic acids-227 and -342, which are part of the apparent catalytic dyad, were essential for hydrolase activity toward dextran.     

Role of active-site residues of dispersin B, a biofilm-releasing beta-hexosaminidase from a periodontal pathogen, in substrate hydrolysis

Dispersin B (DspB), a family 20 beta-hexosaminidase from the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, cleaves beta(1,6)-linked N-acetylglucosamine polymer. In order to understand the substrate specificity of DspB, we have undertaken to characterize several conserved and nonconserved residues in the vicinity of the active site. The active sites of DspB and other family 20 hexosaminidases possess three highly conserved acidic residues, several aromatic residues and an arginine at subsite -1. These residues were mutated using site-directed mutagenesis and characterized for their enzyme activity. Our results show that a highly conserved acid pair in beta-hexosaminidases D183 and E184, and E332 play a critical role in the hydrolysis of the substrates. pH activity profile analysis showed a shift to a higher pH (6.8) in the optimal activity for the E184Q mutant, suggesting that this residue might act as the acid/base catalyst. The reduction in k(cat) observed for Y187A and Y278A mutants suggests that the Y187 residue (unique to DspB) located on a loop might play a role in substrate specificity and be a part of subsite +1, whereas the hydrogen-bond interaction between Y278A and the N-acetyl group might help to stabilize the transition state. Mutation of W237 and W330 residues abolished hydrolytic activity completely suggesting that alteration at these positions might collapse the binding pocket for the N-acetyl group. Mutation of the conserved R27 residue (to R27A or R27K) also caused significant reduction in k(cat) suggesting that R27 might be involved in stabilization of the transition state. From these results, we conclude that in DspB, and possibly in other structurally similar family 20 hydrolases, some residues at the active site assist in orienting the N-acetyl group to participate in the substrate-assisted mechanism, whereas other residues such as R27 and E332 assist in holding the terminal N-acetylglucosamine during the hydrolysis.     

Two active forms of Zymomonas mobilis levansucrase. An ordered microfibril structure of the enzyme promotes levan polymerization

Fructansucrases, members of glycoside hydrolase family 68, catalyze both sucrose hydrolysis and the polymerization of fructose to beta-d-fructofuranose polymers. The resulting fructan polymers are distinguished by the nature of the glycosidic bond: inulin (beta-(2-1)-fructofuranose) and levan (beta-(2-6)-fructofuranose). In this study we demonstrate that Zymomonas mobilis levansucrase exists in two active forms, depending on the pH and ionic strength. At pH values above 7.0, the enzyme is mainly a dimer, whereas at pH values below 6.0, the protein forms well ordered microfibrils that precipitate out of the solution. These two forms are readily interchangeable simply by changing the pH. Surprisingly the manner in which the enzyme is arranged strongly affects its product specificity and kinetic properties. At pH values above 7.0, the activity of the enzyme as a dimer is mainly sucrose hydrolysis and the synthesis of short fructosaccharides (degree of polymerization, 3). At pH values below 6.0, in its microfibril form, the enzyme catalyzes almost exclusively the synthesis of levan (a degree of polymerization greater than 20,000). This difference in product specificity appears to depend on the form of the enzyme, dimer versus microfibril, and not directly on the pH. Images made by negative stain transmission electron microscopy reveal that the enzyme forms a very ordered structure of long fibrils that appear to be composed of repeating rings of six to eight protein units. A single amino acid replacement of H296R abolished the ability of the enzyme to form microfibrils with organized fibril networks and to synthesize levan at pH 6.0.     

米曲霉GX0015蔗糖酶基因克隆及生物信息学分析

在亚洲,低聚果糖的工业生产通常利用米曲霉或黑曲霉发酵蔗糖而来,而曲霉含有水解蔗糖和低聚果糖的蔗糖酶。因此要生产高纯度低聚果糖,必须抑制蔗糖酶的水解活性。本研究以工业生产低聚果糖的米曲霉菌株GX0015为研究材料,采用RT-PCR技术,克隆获得蔗糖酶基因(GenBank登录号:EU181219)。利用生物信息学手段对蔗糖酶基因进行分析:该酶为525个氨基酸残基组成的亲水性膜外蛋白;功能域分析结果显示:该酶具有信号肽序列,糖苷酶32家族N端特征序列和糖苷酶32家族特征序列;并具有糖苷酶32家族酶活性中心的NDPNG、RDP和EC保守序列。米曲霉蔗糖酶与酵母菌的转化酶在进化树上的位置最近。     

The role of conserved arginine residue in loop 4 of glycoside hydrolase family 10 xylanases

An arginine residue in loop 4 connecting beta strand 4 and alpha-helix 4 is conserved in glycoside hydrolase family 10 (GH10) xylanases. The arginine residues, Arg(204) in xylanase A from Bacillus halodurans C-125 (XynA) and Arg(196) in xylanase B from Clostridium stercorarium F9 (XynB), were replaced by glutamic acid, lysine, or glutamine residues (XynA R204E, K and Q, and XynB R196E, K and Q). The pH-k(cat)/K(m) and the pH-k(cat) relationships of these mutant enzymes were measured. The pK(e2) and pK(es2) values calculated from these curves were 8.59 and 8.29 (R204E), 8.59 and 8.10 (R204K), 8.61 and 8.19 (R204Q), 7.42 and 7.19 (R196E), 7.49 and 7.18 (R196K), and 7.86 and 7.38 (R196Q) respectively. Only the pK(es2) value of arginine derivatives was less than those of the wild types (8.49 and 9.39 [XynA] and 7.62 and 7.82 [XynB]). These results suggest that the conserved arginine residue in GH10 xylanases increases the pK(a) value of the proton donor Glu during substrate binding. The arginine residue is considered to clamp the proton donor and subsite +1 to prevent structural change during substrate binding.     

Crystal structure of exo-inulinase from Aspergillus awamori: the enzyme fold and structural determinants of substrate recognition

Exo-inulinases hydrolyze terminal, non-reducing 2,1-linked and 2,6-linked beta-d-fructofuranose residues in inulin, levan and sucrose releasing beta-d-fructose. We present the X-ray structure at 1.55A resolution of exo-inulinase from Aspergillus awamori, a member of glycoside hydrolase family 32, solved by single isomorphous replacement with the anomalous scattering method using the heavy-atom sites derived from a quick cryo-soaking technique. The tertiary structure of this enzyme folds into two domains: the N-terminal catalytic domain of an unusual five-bladed beta-propeller fold and the C-terminal domain folded into a beta-sandwich-like structure. Its structural architecture is very similar to that of another member of glycoside hydrolase family 32, invertase (beta-fructosidase) from Thermotoga maritima, determined recently by X-ray crystallography The exo-inulinase is a glycoprotein containing five N-linked oligosaccharides. Two crystal forms obtained under similar crystallization conditions differ by the degree of protein glycosylation. The X-ray structure of the enzyme:fructose complex, at a resolution of 1.87A, reveals two catalytically important residues: Asp41 and Glu241, a nucleophile and a catalytic acid/base, respectively. The distance between the side-chains of these residues is consistent with a double displacement mechanism of reaction. Asp189, which is part of the Arg-Asp-Pro motif, provides hydrogen bonds important for substrate recognition.     

Sequence and Structural Features of Subsite Residues in GH10 and GH11 Xylanases

Xylanases are the enzymes that breakdown complex plant cell wall polysaccharide xylan into xylose by hydrolysing the β-(1→4) glycosidic linkage between xylosides. They mainly belong to the families GH10 and GH11 of the glycoside hydrolase claβs of enzymes. GH10 xylanases have (α/β)₈-barrel type of fold whereas GH11 xylanases have β-jelly roll type of fold. Both enzymes have several substrate binding subsites. This study analysed in detail the sequence and structural conservation of subsites residues by examining their 3D structures crystallized with homoxylan or its non-hydrolysable form as substrate. A total of 19 structures from GH10 and 6 structures from GH11 were analysed. It was found that in GH10 the subsites -3 to -1 consisted of conserved residues, whereas in GH11 subsites -1, -3 and +1 were found to be conserved. The substrate and subsite interaction analysed based on the presence of h-bonds and CH-π interactions showed that Face-to-Face or Edge-to-Face CH-π interactions are formed in the subsites of GH10, whereas such specific CH-π interactions were no at all observed in case of GH11 xylanases. The spatial conservation of subsite residues was also analysed using a distance matrix based approach. It was found that in GH10 xylanases conserved residues have conserved spatial position of those residues as opposed to GH11 enzymes where in subsites -2 and +2 conserved residues showed non-conservation in their spatial positions. The results presented in this study can be used in discovering new xylanases and in the engineering highly efficient xylanases.     

Characterization of a Novel Fructosyltransferase from Lactobacillus reuteri That Synthesizes High-Molecular-Weight Inulin and Inulin Oligosaccharides

Fructosyltransferase (FTF) enzymes produce fructose polymers (fructans) from sucrose. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of an FTF-encoding gene from Lactobacillus reuteri strain 121. A C-terminally truncated version of the ftf gene was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. When incubated with sucrose, the purified recombinant FTF enzyme produced large amounts of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) with β-(2→1)-linked fructosyl units, plus a high-molecular-weight fructan polymer (>10⁷) with β-(2→1) linkages (an inulin). FOS, but not inulin, was found in supernatants of L. reuteri strain 121 cultures grown on medium containing sucrose. Bacterial inulin production has been reported for only Streptococcus mutans strains. FOS production has been reported for a few bacterial strains. This paper reports the first-time isolation and molecular characterization of (i) a Lactobacillus ftf gene, (ii) an inulosucrase associated with a generally regarded as safe bacterium, (iii) an FTF enzyme synthesizing both a high molecular weight inulin and FOS, and (iv) an FTF protein containing a cell wall-anchoring LPXTG motif. The biological relevance and potential health benefits of an inulosucrase associated with an L. reuteri strain remain to be established.