New Binding Assay and Preparative Trial of Cell-Surface Lectin from Lactobacillus acidophilus Group Lactic Acid Bacteria

Abstract

To select Lactobacillus acidophilus group bacteria as a probiotic yogurt starter, we designed a new screening method that measures the binding activity of surface layer protein to rat colonic mucin, which contains sugar chains similar to those in human colonic mucin. The B1 subgroup (Lactobacillus gasseri), which is the dominant strain in the human intestinal tract, showed the highest binding activity to rat colonic mucin among all the subgroups of L. acidophilus. The binding activity of the surface layer protein was also shown to be significantly reduced after periodate oxidation of the rat colonic mucin. This new screening method is useful for rapid selection of L. acidophilus strains that have high adhesion to the human intestinal tract. Lectin-like proteins that were bound to rat colonic mucin were isolated from the surface layer proteins with a rat colonic mucin-coated membrane and were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. A few main bands together with several minor bands were observed on the electrophoretograms obtained from the strains tested. It is possible that those lectin-like proteins contribute to adhesion of the bacterial cell to human colonic mucosa by binding specifically to carbohydrate portions.

GroEL ofLactobacillus johnsoniiLa1 (NCC 533) Is Cell Surface Associated: Potential Role in Interactions with the Host and the Gastric PathogenHelicobacter pylori

“…Several probiotics have been demonstrated to enhance gastrointestinal health by stimulation of host immunity and inhibition of pathogen adherence to mucus and epithelial cells (reviewed in references 7 and 44). The ability of lactobacilli to attach to epithelial cells (4,5,26,36,51) and mucins (27,34,43,(48)(49)(50) has been documented and is expected to be an important characteristic, enhancing intestinal persistence and antagonistic competition with pathogens, especially at the point of initial contact with the mucosa. Recently, the association of Lactobacillus species with Peyer's patches in mice has been described (40).…”

Purification and Characterization of a Surface Protein from Lactobacillus fermentum 104R That Binds to Porcine Small Intestinal Mucus and Gastric Mucin

“…Lactobacillus, one of the common indigenous organisms of the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals (46,48,49) and a potential probiotic microbe that contributes to the health of the host (11,16), has the capacity to adhere to epithelial cells (5,6,9,10,16,21,23,24,33,34,44,49) and mucus gel (25,32,35,38,41,51,52) from the intestinal tracts of different species. Lactobacillus surface proteins have been proposed to be involved in colonization of gastrointestinal epithelial cells and mucosa of mammals (9,12,21,41,44,53).…”

The Interaction of Large Bowel Microflora with the Colonic Mucus Barrier

“…Up to 85% of the mucin molecule is oligosaccharide side chains by weight. The terminal sugars of these side chains are believed to play a crucial role in the adhesion of mucins to different bacterial cells (e.g., [12, 13]). Changes in both the MUC gene product and glycosylation patterns are believed to be associated with the onset or development of colonic mucosal diseases, such as colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [14].…”