Identification of Genes Required for Glucan Exopolysaccharide Production in Lactobacillus johnsonii Suggests a Novel Biosynthesis Mechanism

• Melinda J. Mayer ^[2] ; Alfonsina D’Amato ^[3] ; Ian J. Colquhoun ^[3] ; Gwénaëlle Le Gall ^[1] ; Arjan Narbad ^[2]
  1. [1] University of East Anglia

     University of East Anglia

     Norwich District, Reino Unido

     
  2. [2] a Gut Microbes and Health Institute Strategic Programme, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, United Kingdom
  3. [3] b Analytical Sciences Unit, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, United Kingdom

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• Localización: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, ISSN 0099-2240, Vol. 86, Nº 8, 2020
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Exopolysaccharides are key components of the surfaces of their bacterial producers, contributing to protection, microbial and host interactions, and even virulence. They also have significant applications in industry, and understanding their biosynthetic mechanisms may allow improved production of novel and valuable polymers. Four categories of bacterial exopolysaccharide biosynthesis have been described in detail, but novel enzymes and glycosylation mechanisms are still being described. Our findings that a putative bactoprenol glycosyltransferase and flippase are essential to homopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Lactobacillus johnsonii FI9785 indicate that there may be an alternative mechanism of glucan biosynthesis to the glucansucrase pathway. Disturbance of this synthesis leads to a slow-growth phenotype. Further elucidation of this biosynthesis may give insight into exopolysaccharide production and its impact on the bacterial cell.