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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Genomic characterization and transcriptional studies of the starch-utilizing strain Bifidobacterium adolescentis 22L
Sabrina Duranti1, Francesca Turroni2, Gabriele Andrea Lugli1
1Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Abstract:
Bifidobacteria are members of the gut microbiota, but the genetic basis for their adaptation to the human gut is poorly understood. The analysis of the 2,203,222-bp genome of Bifidobacterium adolescentis 22L revealed a nutrient acquisition strategy that targets diet/plant-derived glycans, in particular starch and starch-like carbohydrates. Starch-like carbohydrates were shown to support the growth of B. adolescentis 22L. Transcriptome profiling of 22L cultures grown under in vitro conditions or during colonization of the murine gut by RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR assays revealed the expression of a set of chromosomal loci responsible for starch metabolism as well as for pilus production. Such extracellular structures include so-called sortase-dependent and type IVb pili, which may be involved in gut colonization of 22L through adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins.
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