Genome architecture of Lactobacillus plantarum PS128, a probiotic strain with potential immunomodulatory activity

Clinical and preclinical observations indicate that Lactobacillus plantarum has anti-inflammatory activity and may regulate the immune responses of its hosts when ingested. Recently, modification of teichoic acids (TAs) produced by L. plantarum was reported as a key to regulating the systemic immune response in mice. However, data linking TA-related genetic determinants and the immunomodulatory effect are limited. To provide genomic information for elucidating the underlying mechanism of immunomodulation by L. plantarum, we sequenced the genome of L. plantarum strain PS128.

The PS128 genome contains 11 contigs (3,325,806 bp; 44.42% GC content) after hybrid assembly of sequences derived with Illumina MiSeq and PacBio RSII systems. The most abundant functions of the protein-coding genes are carbohydrate, amino acid, and protein metabolism. The 16S rDNA sequences of PS128 are closest to the sequences of L. plantarum WCFS1 and B21; these three strains form a distinct clade based on 16S rDNA sequences. PS128 shares core genes encoding the metabolism, transport, and modification of TAs with other sequenced L. plantarum strains. Compared with the TA-related genes of other completely sequenced L. plantarum strains, the PS128 contains more lipoteichoic acid exporter genes.

We determined the draft genome sequence of PS128 and compared its TA-related genes with those of other L. plantarum strains. Shared genomic features with respect to TA-related subsystems may be important clues to the mechanism by which L. plantarum regulates its host immune responses, but unique TA-related genetic determinants should be further investigated to elucidate strain-specific immunomodulatory effects.