Distinct substrate specificities of three glycoside hydrolase family 42 ß-galactosidases from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697.

Glycoside hydrolase family 42 (GH42) includes ß-galactosidases catalyzing the release of galactose (Gal) from the non-reducing end of different ß-d-galactosides. Health-promoting probiotic bifidobacteria, which are important members of the human gastrointestinal tract microbiota, produce GH42 enzymes enabling utilization of ß-galactosides exerting prebiotic effects. However, insight into the specificity of individual GH42 enzymes with respect to substrate monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkage and degree of polymerization is lagging. Kinetic analysis of natural and synthetic substrates resembling various milk and plant galactooligosaccharides distinguishes the three GH42 members, Bga42A, Bga42B and Bga42C, encoded by the probiotic B. longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 and revealed the glycosyl residue at subsite +1 and its linkage to the terminal Gal at subsite -1 to be key specificity determinants. Bga42A thus prefers the ß1-3-galactosidic linkage from human milk and other ß1-3- and ß1-6-galactosides with glucose or Gal situated at subsite +1. In contrast, Bga42B very efficiently hydrolyses 4-galactosyllactose (Galß1-4Galß1-4Glc) as well as 4-galactobiose (Galß1-4Gal) and 4-galactotriose (Galß1-4Galß1-4Gal). The specificity of Bga42C resembles that of Bga42B, but the activity was one order of magnitude lower. Based on enzyme kinetics, gene organization and phylogenetic analyses, Bga42C is proposed to act in the metabolism of arabinogalactan-derived oligosaccharides. The distinct kinetic signatures of the three GH42 enzymes correlate to unique sequence motifs denoting specific clades in a GH42 phylogenetic tree providing novel insight into GH42 subspecificities. Overall, the data illustrate the metabolic adaptation of bifidobacteria to the ß-galactoside-rich gut niche and emphasize the importance and diversity of ß-galactoside metabolism in probiotic bifidobacteria.

The extracellular proteome of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 reveals proteins with putative roles in probiotic effects.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that exert health-promoting effects on the human host, as demonstrated for numerous strains of the genus Bifidobacterium. To unravel the proteins involved in the interactions between the host and the extensively used and well-studied probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, proteins secreted by the bacterium, i.e. belonging to the extracellular proteome present in the culture medium, were identified by 2-DE coupled with MALDI-TOF MS. Among the 74 distinct proteins identified, 31 are predicted to carry out their physiological role either outside the cell or on its surface. These proteins include solute-binding proteins for oligosaccharides, amino acids and manganese, cell wall-metabolizing proteins, and 18 proteins that have been described to interact with human host epithelial cells or extracellular matrix proteins. The potential functions include binding of plasminogen, formation of fimbriae, adhesion to collagen, attachment to mucin and intestinal cells as well as induction of immunomodulative response. These findings suggest a role of the proteins in colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, adhesion to host tissues, or immunomodulation of the host immune system. The identification of proteins predicted to be involved in such interactions can pave the way towards well targeted studies of the protein-mediated contacts between bacteria and the host, with the goal to enhance the understanding of the mode of action of probiotic bacteria.