Genomic Characterization and Safety Assessment of Bifidobacterium breve BS2-PB3 as Functional Food.

Our group had isolated Bifidobacterium breve strain BS2-PB3 from human breast milk. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of B. breve BS2-PB3, and with a focus on its safety profile, various probiotic characteristics (presence of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile elements) were then determined through bioinformatic analyses. The antibiotic resistance profile of B. breve BS2-PB3 was also evaluated. The whole genome of B. breve BS2-PB3 consisted of 2,268,931 base pairs with a G-C content of 58.89% and 2,108 coding regions. The average nucleotide identity and whole-genome phylogenetic analyses supported the classification of B. breve BS2-PB3. According to our in silico assessment, B. breve BS2-PB3 possesses antioxidant and immunomodulation properties in addition to various genes related to the probiotic properties of heat, cold, and acid stress, bile tolerance, and adhesion. Antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion test, in which the minimum inhibitory concentrations for selected antibiotics were subsequently tested using the Epsilometer test. B. breve BS2-PB3 only exhibited selected resistance phenotypes, i.e., to mupirocin (minimum inhibitory concentration/MIC >1,024 µg/ml), sulfamethoxazole (MIC >1,024 µg/ml), and oxacillin (MIC >3 µg/ml). The resistance genes against those antibiotics, i.e., ileS, mupB, sul4, mecC and ramA, were detected within its genome as well. While no virulence factor was detected, four insertion sequences were identified within the genome but were located away from the identified antibiotic resistance genes. In conclusion, B. breve BS2-PB3 demonstrated a sufficient safety profile, making it a promising candidate for further development as a potential functional food.

Bifidobacterium breve Protects the Intestinal Epithelium and Mitigates Inflammation in Colitis via Regulating the Gut Microbiota-Cholic Acid Pathway.

In this study, we aimed to explore the protective effects of Bifidobacterium in colitis mice and the potential mechanisms. Results showed that Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve) effectively colonized the intestinal tract and alleviated colitis symptoms by reducing the disease activity index. Moreover, B. breve mitigated intestinal epithelial cell damage, inhibited the pro-inflammatory factors, and upregulated tight junction (TJ)-proteins. Gut microbiota and metabolome analysis found that B. breve boosted bile acid-regulating genera (such as Bifidobacterium and Clostridium sensu stricto 1), which promoted bile acid deconjugation in the intestine. Notably, cholic acid (CA) was closely associated with the expression levels of inflammatory factors and TJ-proteins (p < 0.05). Our in vitro cell experiments further confirmed that CA (20.24 ± 4.53 pg/mL) contributed to the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α expression (49.32 ± 5.27 pg/mL) and enhanced the expression of TJ-proteins (Occludin and Claudin-1) and MUC2. This study suggested that B. breve could be a probiotic candidate for use in infant foods.

Harnessing the endogenous Type I-C CRISPR-Cas system for genome editing in Bifidobacterium breve.

Bifidobacterium breve, one of the main bifidobacterial species colonizing the human gastrointestinal tract in early life, has received extensive attention for its purported beneficial effects on human health. However, exploration of the mode of action of such beneficial effects exerted by B. breve is cumbersome due to the lack of effective genetic tools, which limits its synthetic biology application. The widespread presence of CRISPR-Cas systems in the B. breve genome makes endogenous CRISPR-based gene editing toolkits a promising tool. This study revealed that Type I-C CRISPR-Cas systems in B. breve can be divided into two groups based on the amino acid sequences encoded by cas gene clusters. Deletion of the gene coding uracil phosphoribosyl-transferase (upp) was achieved in five B. breve strains from both groups using this system. In addition, translational termination of uracil phosphoribosyl-transferase was successfully achieved in B. breve FJSWX38M7 by single-base substitution of the upp gene and insertion of three stop codons. The gene encoding linoleic acid isomerase (bbi) in B. breve, being a characteristic trait, was deleted after plasmid curing, which rendered it unable to convert linoleic acid into conjugated linoleic acid, demonstrating the feasibility of successive editing. This study expands the toolkit for gene manipulation in B. breve and provides a new approach toward functional genome editing and analysis of B. breve strains.IMPORTANCEThe lack of effective genetic tools for Bifidobacterium breve is an obstacle to studying the molecular mechanisms of its health-promoting effects, hindering the development of next-generation probiotics. Here, we introduce a gene editing method based on the endogenous CRISPR-Cas system, which can achieve gene deletion, single-base substitution, gene insertion, and successive gene editing in B. breve. This study will facilitate discovery of functional genes and elucidation of molecular mechanisms of B. breve pertaining to health-associated benefits.

Transcriptional landscape of the pMP7017 megaplasmid and its impact on the Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 transcriptome.

The 190 kb megaplasmid pMP7017 of Bifidobacterium breve JCM7017 represents the first conjugative and largest plasmid characterised within this genus to date. In the current study, we adopted an integrated approach combining transcriptomics, whole genome comparative analysis and metagenomic data mining to understand the biology of pMP7017 and related megaplasmids, and to assess the impact of plasmid-carriage on the host strain. The data generated revealed variations within basic features of promoter elements which correlate with a high level of transcription on the plasmid and highlight the transcriptional activity of genes encoding both offensive and defensive adaptations, including a Type IIL restriction-modification system, an anti-restriction system and four Type II toxin-antitoxin systems. Furthermore, a highly transcribed tmRNA, which likely provides translational support to the host strain, was identified, making pMP7017 the first plasmid of the Bifidobacterium genus and the smallest plasmid known to express a tmRNA. Analyses of synteny and variability among pMP7017 and related plasmids indicate substantial diversity in gene organisation and accessory gene cargo highlighting diverse (co-)evolution and potential host-specific rearrangements and adaptations. Systematic analysis of the codon usage profile of transcriptionally active pMP7017-encoded genes suggests that pMP7017 originated from (sub)species of Bifidobacterium longum. Furthermore, mining of metagenomic data suggests the presence of pMP7017-homologues in ~10% of microbiome samples, mostly infants and/or mothers from various geographical locations. Comparative transcriptome analysis of the B. breve UCC2003 chromosome in the presence or absence of pMP7017 revealed differential expression of genes representing 8% of the total gene pool. Genes involved in genetic information processing were exclusively upregulated, while altered expression of genes involved in biofilm production and polysaccharide biosynthesis was also observed.

Psychobiotics Regulate Purine Metabolism to Influence Host Emotional Behavior.

Purine metabolism plays a pivotal role in numerous biological processes with potential implications for brain function and emotional regulation. This study utilizes gene-edited probiotics and pseudo-germ-free mice to unravel this intricate interplay. Transcriptomic analysis identified a ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase ß chain (nrdB) as a pivotal gene in purine metabolism within Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1025. Comparative evaluation between the wild-type and nrdB mutant strains revealed CCFM1025's effective reduction of xanthine and xanthosine levels in the serum and brain of stressed mice. Concomitantly, it downregulated the expression of the adenosine receptor gene (Adora2b) and inhibited the overactivation of microglia. These findings emphasize the potential of psychobiotics in modulating emotional responses by regulating purine metabolites and adenosine receptors. This study sheds light on novel pathways that influence emotional well-being through gut microbiota interactions and purine metabolic processes.

Detection of colonization capacity of probiotic Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1025 in the human gut.

Aim: To detect the gut colonization capacity of Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1025 with clinical antidepressant-like effects. Materials & methods: A unique gene sequence of B. breve CCFM1025 was discovered based on the genome analysis of 104 B. breve strains and a strain-specific primer (1025T5) was designed. In vitro and in vivo samples were used to validate the specificity and quantitative capability of this primer in the PCR system. Results: Quantitative PCR using strain-specific primers enabled absolute quantification of CCFM1025 in fecal samples within 104-1010 cells/g (R2 >0.99). CCFM1025 remained highly detectable in volunteer feces 14 days after cessation of administration, demonstrating its favorable colonization characteristics. Conclusion: CCFM1025 can colonize the healthy human gut.

Bifidobacterium breve CBT BR3 is effective at relieving intestinal inflammation by augmenting goblet cell regeneration.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Bifidobacterium breve was the first bacteria isolated in the feces of healthy infants and is a dominant species in the guts of breast-fed infants. Some strains of B. breve have been shown to be effective at relieving intestinal inflammation, but the modes of action have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of action of B. breve CBT BR3 isolated from South Korean infant feces in relieving colitis in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Colitis was induced in mice with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS). Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, in vitro FITC-dextran flux permeability assay, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) luciferase assay are performed using Caco-2 cells and HT29-Lucia™ AhR cells. RESULTS: B. breve CBT BR3 was orally administered. B. breve CBT BR3 improved colitis symptoms in both DSS- and DNBS-induced colitis models. B. breve CBT BR3 increased the number of goblet cells per crypt. B. breve increased the mRNA expressions of Notch, Spdef, Muc5, and Il22. The mRNA expressions of Occludin, which encodes a membrane tight-junction protein, and Foxo3, which encodes a protein related to butyrate metabolism, were also increased in the DSS- and DNBS-induced colitis models. B. breve CBT BR3 protected inflammation-induced epithelial cell permeability and improved goblet cell function by inducing aryl hydrocarbon receptor in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that B. breve CBT BR3 is effective at relieving intestinal inflammation by augmenting goblet cell regeneration.

Bifidobacterium breve HNXY26M4 Attenuates Cognitive Deficits and Neuroinflammation by Regulating the Gut-Brain Axis in APP/PS1 Mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, pathological markers of which are amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. As a key node of gut-brain axis, gut microbiota is increasingly associated with changes in cognitive behaviors and brain function. Psychobiotics are known to benefit patients with neurodegenerative diseases by the production and deliberation of neuroactive substances. However, psychobiotics are strain-specific probiotics, and their neuroprotective effects on the brain and modulation effects on the gut microbiome are not generalizable. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bifidobacterium breve HNXY26M4 in APP/PS1 mice. By assessing the alterations associated with brain function, we found that B. breve HNXY26M4 attenuated cognitive deficits and suppressed neuroinflammation and synaptic dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, by determining the modulation effects of B. breve HNXY26M4 on gut homeostasis, we identified that B. breve HNXY26M4 supplementation restored the composition of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids, as well as enhanced the function of the intestinal barrier. These findings indicate that microbiome-derived acetate and butyrate modulated by B. breve HNXY26M4 administration may be transported to the brain through the blood-brain barrier, and thus confer neuroprotective effects against AD-associated brain deficits and inflammation via the gut-brain axis.

Characterization of CRISPR-Cas systems in Bifidobacterium breve.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system is an important adaptive immune system for bacteria to resist foreign DNA infection, which has been widely used in genotyping and gene editing. To provide a theoretical basis for the application of the CRISPR-Cas system in Bifidobacterium breve, the occurrence and diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems were analysed in 150 B. breve strains. Specifically, 47 % (71/150) of B. breve genomes possessed the CRISPR-Cas system, and type I-C CRISPR-Cas system was the most widely distributed among those strains. The spacer sequences present in B. breve can be used as a genotyping marker. Additionally, the phage assembly-related proteins were important targets of the type I-C CRISPR-Cas system in B. breve, and the protospacer adjacent motif sequences were further characterized in B. breve type I-C system as 5'-TTC-3'. All these results might provide a molecular basis for the development of endogenous genome editing tools in B. breve.

Therapeutic Effects of Bifidobacterium breve YH68 in Combination with Vancomycin and Metronidazole in a Primary Clostridioides difficile-Infected Mouse Model.

Probiotics have been widely used to prevent primary Clostridioides difficile infection (pCDI); however, there are fewer studies on their therapeutic aspects for pCDI. In this study, high doses of Bifidobacterium breve YH68 were used alone or in combination with vancomycin (VAN) and metronidazole (MTR) to treat pCDI mice. Mouse feces were collected from preinfection, postinfection, and posttreatment stages. Subsequently, the C. difficile number and toxin level in feces were detected by plate count method and C. difficile toxin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Simultaneously, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and untargeted metabolomics were employed to explore the changing patterns and characteristic markers of fecal microbiota and metabolome. The results indicated that high doses of YH68 used alone or in combination with VAN and MTR were more effective than the combination of VAN and MTR for pCDI mice and improved their final survival rate. This probiotic strain and its combination with antibiotics reduced C. difficile numbers and toxin levels in the feces, downregulated proinflammatory cytokine levels in colon tissue, and alleviated cecum tissue hyperplasia. Meanwhile, the level of fecal microbiota diversity increased significantly in pCDI mice after treatment, with an increase in the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, Oscillospira, unidentified_S24-7, and Ruminococcus, and this process was accompanied by elevated levels of secondary bile acid, butyric acid, and gentamicin C1a and reduced levels of primary bile acid and indoles. Most notably, the combination of YH68 with VAN and MTR diminished the damaging effect of antibiotic treatment alone on the microbiota. Our findings suggested that high doses of YH68 used in combination with VAN and MTR have a better therapeutic effect on pCDI mice than the combination of VAN and MTR alone. IMPORTANCE Many studies have focused on the preventive effects of probiotics against pCDI, but few studies have investigated in depth the therapeutic effects of probiotics, especially at the postinfection stage. We demonstrated that high doses of Bifidobacterium breve YH68 used alone or in combination with vancomycin (VAN) and metronidazole (MTR) exerted outstanding efficacy in the treatment of pCDI mice. This probiotic-antibiotic combination regimen has the potential to be a new option for the clinical treatment of pCDI.

A Proposed Framework to Identify Dispensable and Essential Functions in Bifidobacteria: Case Study of Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 as a Prototype of Its Genus.

Functional genomics of bacteria commonly aims at establishing genotype-phenotype links in microorganisms of industrial, technological and biomedical relevance. In this regard, random transposon mutagenesis coupled to high-throughput next-generation sequencing approaches, termed transposon-insertion sequencing (TIS), has emerged as a robust, genome-wide alternative to perform functional genome analysis. Though these approaches have been used in a large number of studies involving pathogenic and clinically relevant bacteria, they have received little attention in the fields of commensal and potentially beneficial bacteria, including probiotic microorganisms. In this chapter, we describe the implementation of the TIS method Transposon-Directed Insertion Sequencing to describe the set of essential genes in a representative strain of a genus encompassing several commensal and potentially probiotic bacteria and discuss considerations when applying similar methodological approaches to other Bifidobacterium species/strains of interest.

Safety Evaluation of Bifidobacterium breve IDCC4401 Isolated from Infant Feces for Use as a Commercial Probiotic.

Previously, our research group isolated Bifidobacterium breve IDCC4401 from infant feces as a potential probiotic. For this study, we evaluated the safety of B. breve IDCC4401 using genomic and phenotypic analyses. Whole genome sequencing was performed to identify genomic characteristics and investigate the potential presence of genes encoding virulence, antibiotic resistance, and mobile genetic elements. Phenotypic analyses including antibiotic susceptibility, enzyme activity, production of biogenic amines (BAs), and proportion of D-/L-lactate were evaluated using E-test, API ZYM test, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and D-/L-lactic acid assay respectively. The genome of B. breve IDCC4401 consists of 2,426,499 bp with a GC content of 58.70% and 2,016 coding regions. Confirmation of the genome as B. breve was provided by its 98.93% similarity with B. breve DSM20213. Furthermore, B. breve IDCC4401 genes encoding virulence and antibiotic resistance were not identified. Although B. breve IDCC4401 showed antibiotic resistance against vancomycin, we confirmed that this was an intrinsic feature since the antibiotic resistance gene was not present. B. breve IDCC4401 showed leucine arylamidase, cystine arylamidase, α-galactosidase, ß-galactosidase, and α-glucosidase activities, whereas it did not show production of harmful enzymes such as ß-glucosidase and ß-glucuronidase. In addition, B. breve IDCC4401 did not produce any tyramine, histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, or 2-phenethylamine, which are frequently detected BAs during fermentation. B. breve IDCC4401 produced 95.08% of L-lactate and 4.92% of Dlactate. Therefore, our findings demonstrate the safety of B. breve IDCC 4401 as a potential probiotic for use in the food industry.

Effects of multi-species probiotic supplementation on alcohol metabolism in rats.

Probiotics are known to protect against liver damage induced by the alcohol and acetaldehyde accumulation associated with alcohol intake. However, there have been few studies of the direct effect of probiotics on alcohol metabolism, and the types of probiotics that were previously analyzed were few in number. Here, we investigated the effects of 19 probiotic species on alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism. Four probiotic species that had a relatively high tolerance to alcohol and metabolized alcohol and acetaldehyde effectively were identified: Lactobacillus gasseri CBT LGA1, Lactobacillus casei CBT LC5, Bifidobacterium lactis CBT BL3, and Bifidobacterium breve CBT BR3. These species also demonstrated high mRNA expression of alcohol and acetaldehyde dehydrogenases. ProAP4, a mixture of these four probiotics species and excipient, was then administered to rats for 2 weeks in advance of acute alcohol administration. The serum alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations were significantly lower in the ProAP4-administered group than in the control and excipient groups. Thus, the administration of ProAP4, containing four probiotic species, quickly lowers blood alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations in an alcohol and acetaldehyde dehydrogenasedependent manner. Furthermore, the serum alanine aminotransferase activity, which is indicative of liver damage, was significantly lower in the ProAP4 group than in the control group. The present findings suggest that ProAP4 may be an effective means of limiting alcohol-induced liver damage.

Unraveling the Microbial Mechanisms Underlying the Psychobiotic Potential of a Bifidobacterium breve Strain.

SCOPE: The antidepressant-like effect of psychobiotics has been observed in both pre-clinical and clinical studies, but the molecular mechanisms of action are largely unclear. To address this, the psychobiotic strain Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1025 is investigated for its genomic features, metabolic features, and gut microbial and metabolic modulation effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: Unlike B. breve FHLJDQ3M5, CCFM1025 significantly decreases the chronically stressed mice's depressive-like behaviors and neurological abnormalities. CCFM1025 has more genes encoding glycoside hydrolases (GHs) when comparing to FHLJDQ3M5's genome, which means CCFM1025 has a superior carbohydrate utilization capacity and living adaptivity in the gut. CCFM1025 also produces higher levels of neuromodulatory metabolites, including hypoxanthine, tryptophan, and nicotinate. The administration of CCFM1025 reshapes the gut microbiome of chronically stressed mice. It results in higher cecal xanthine, tryptophan, short-chain fatty acid levels, and enhances fatty acid and tryptophan biosynthesis capability in the gut-brain interaction (identified by in silico analyses) than FHLJDQ3M5-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: Genomic and metabolic features involving GHs and neuromodulatory metabolites may determine the antidepressant-like effect of B. breve CCFM1025. Psychobiotics' characterization in this manner may provide guidelines for developing novel psychopharmacological agents in the future.

Bifidobacterial biofilm formation is a multifactorial adaptive phenomenon in response to bile exposure.

In the current study, we show that biofilm formation by various strains and species belonging to Bifidobacterium, a genus that includes gut commensals with reported health-promoting activities, is induced by high concentrations of bile (0.5% (w/v) or higher) and individual bile salts (20 mM or higher), rather than by acid or osmotic stress. The transcriptomic response of a bifidobacterial prototype Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 to such high bile concentrations was investigated and a random transposon bank of B. breve UCC2003 was screened for mutants that affect biofilm formation in order to identify genes involved in this adaptive process. Eleven mutants affected in their ability to form a biofilm were identified, while biofilm formation capacity of an insertional mutation in luxS and an exopolysaccharide (EPS) negative B. breve UCC2003 was also studied. Reduced capacity to form biofilm also caused reduced viability when exposed to porcine bile. We propose that bifidobacterial biofilm formation is an adaptive response to high concentrations of bile in order to avoid bactericidal effects of high bile concentrations in the gastrointestinal environment. Biofilm formation appears to be a multi-factorial process involving EPS production, proteins and extracellular DNA release, representing a crucial strategy in response to bile stress in order to enhance fitness in the gut environment.

Human milk and mucosa-associated disaccharides impact on cultured infant fecal microbiota.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a mixture of structurally diverse carbohydrates that contribute to shape a healthy gut microbiota composition. The great diversity of the HMOs structures does not allow the attribution of specific prebiotic characteristics to single milk oligosaccharides. We analyze here the utilization of four disaccharides, lacto-N-biose (LNB), galacto-N-biose (GNB), fucosyl-α1,3-GlcNAc (3FN) and fucosyl-α1,6-GlcNAc (6FN), that form part of HMOs and glycoprotein structures, by the infant fecal microbiota. LNB significantly increased the total levels of bifidobacteria and the species Bifidobacterium breve and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The Lactobacillus genus levels were increased by 3FN fermentation and B. breve by GNB and 3FN. There was a significant reduction of Blautia coccoides group with LNB and 3FN. In addition, 6FN significantly reduced the levels of Enterobacteriaceae family members. Significantly higher concentrations of lactate, formate and acetate were produced in cultures containing either LNB or GNB in comparison with control cultures. Additionally, after fermentation of the oligosaccharides by the fecal microbiota, several Bifidobacterium strains were isolated and identified. The results presented here indicated that each, LNB, GNB and 3FN disaccharide, might have a specific beneficial effect in the infant gut microbiota and they are potential prebiotics for application in infant foods.

Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 Exopolysaccharide Modulates the Early Life Microbiota by Acting as a Potential Dietary Substrate.

BACKGROUND: Bifidobacterium represents an important early life microbiota member. Specific bifidobacterial components, exopolysaccharides (EPS), positively modulate host responses, with purified EPS also suggested to impact microbe-microbe interactions by acting as a nutrient substrate. Thus, we determined the longitudinal effects of bifidobacterial EPS on microbial communities and metabolite profiles using an infant model colon system. METHODS: Differential gene expression and growth characteristics were determined for each strain; Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 and corresponding isogenic EPS-deletion mutant (B. breve UCC2003del). Model colon vessels were inoculated with B. breve and microbiome dynamics monitored using 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomics (NMR). RESULTS: Transcriptomics of EPS mutant vs. B. breve UCC2003 highlighted discrete differential gene expression (e.g., eps biosynthetic cluster), though overall growth dynamics between strains were unaffected. The EPS-positive vessel had significant shifts in microbiome and metabolite profiles until study end (405 h); with increases of Tyzzerella and Faecalibacterium, and short-chain fatty acids, with further correlations between taxa and metabolites which were not observed within the EPS-negative vessel. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that B. breve UCC2003 EPS is potentially metabolized by infant microbiota members, leading to differential microbial metabolism and altered metabolite by-products. Overall, these findings may allow development of EPS-specific strategies to promote infant health.

Contributions to human breast milk microbiome and enteromammary transfer of Bifidobacterium breve.

Increasing evidence supports the importance of the breast milk microbiome in seeding the infant gut. However, the origin of bacteria in milk and the process of milk microbe-mediated seeding of infant intestine need further elucidation. Presumed sources of bacteria in milk include locations of mother-infant and mother-environment interactions. We investigate the role of mother-infant interaction on breast milk microbes. Shotgun metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified milk microbes of mother-infant pairs in breastfed infants and in infants that have never latched. Although breast milk has low overall biomass, milk microbes play an important role in seeding the infant gut. Breast milk bacteria were largely comprised of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter, and Enterobacter primarily derived from maternal areolar skin and infant oral sites in breastfeeding pairs. This suggests that the process of breastfeeding is a potentially important mechanism for propagation of breast milk microbes through retrograde flux via infant oral and areolar skin contact. In one infant delivered via Caesarian section, a distinct strain of Bifidobacteria breve was identified in maternal rectum, breast milk and the infant's stool potentially suggesting direct transmission. This may support the existence of microbial translocation of this anaerobic bacteria via the enteromammary pathway in humans, where maternal bacteria translocate across the maternal gut and are transferred to the mammary glands. Modulating sources of human milk microbiome seeding potentially imply opportunities to ultimately influence the development of the infant microbiome and health.

Transcriptional control of central carbon metabolic flux in Bifidobacteria by two functionally similar, yet distinct LacI-type regulators.

Bifidobacteria resident in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are subject to constantly changing environmental conditions, which require rapid adjustments in gene expression. Here, we show that two predicted LacI-type transcription factors (TFs), designated AraQ and MalR1, are involved in regulating the central, carbohydrate-associated metabolic pathway (the so-called phosphoketolase pathway or bifid shunt) of the gut commensal Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003. These TFs appear to not only control transcription of genes involved in the bifid shunt and each other, but also seem to commonly and directly affect transcription of other TF-encoding genes, as well as genes related to uptake and metabolism of various carbohydrates. This complex and interactive network of AraQ/MalR1-mediated gene regulation provides previously unknown insights into the governance of carbon metabolism in bifidobacteria.

Ability of bifidobacteria to metabolize chitin-glucan and its impact on the gut microbiota.

Chitin-glucan (CG) represents a natural carbohydrate source for certain microbial inhabitants of the human gut and may act as a prebiotic for a number of bacterial taxa. However, the bifidogenic activity of this substrate is still unknown. In the current study, we evaluated the ability of chitin-glucan to influence growth of 100 bifidobacterial strains belonging to those species commonly identified within the bifidobacterial communities residing in the infant and adult human gut. Such analyses were coupled with transcriptome experiments directed to explore the transcriptional effects of CG on Bifidobacterium breve 2L, which was shown to elicit the highest growth performance on this natural polysaccharide. In addition, an in vivo trial involving a rat model revealed how the colonization efficiency of this bifidobacterial strain was enhanced when the animals were fed with a diet containing CG. Altogether our analyses indicate that CG is a valuable novel prebiotic compound that may be added to the human diet in order to re-establish/reinforce bifidobacteria colonization in the mammalian gut.