Open AccessDiscovering Novel Bile Protection Systems in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 through Functional Genomics
Author(s) -
Lorena Ruíz,
Aldert Zomer,
Mary O’Connell Motherway,
Douwe van Sinderen,
Abelardo Margollés
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
applied and environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.552
H-Index - 324
eISSN - 1070-6291
pISSN - 0099-2240
DOI - 10.1128/aem.06060-11
Subject(s) - bifidobacterium breve , genomics , bifidobacterium , computational biology , functional genomics , biology , genetics , bacteria , genome , gene , lactobacillus
Tolerance of gut commensals to bile salt exposure is an important feature for their survival in and colonization of the intestinal environment. A transcriptomic approach was employed to study the response of Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 to bile, allowing the identification of a number of bile-induced genes with a range of predicted functions. The potential roles of a selection of these bile-inducible genes in bile protection were analyzed following heterologous expression in Lactococcus lactis. Genes encoding three transport systems belonging to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), Bbr_0838, Bbr_0832, and Bbr_1756, and three ABC-type transporters, Bbr_0406-0407, Bbr_1804-1805, and Bbr_1826-1827, were thus investigated and shown to provide enhanced resistance and survival to bile exposure. This work significantly improves our understanding as to how bifidobacteria respond to and survive bile exposure.