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Updated: Dec 15, 2025

The Cultivation, Growth, and Viability of Lactic Acid Bacteria: A Quality Control Perspective
Published on: June 16, 2022
Molecular evolutionary and 3D protein structural analyses of Lactobacillus fermentum elongation factor Tu, a novel
Jia Sin Ong1, Yen-Wenn Liu2, Min-Tze Liong1
1Bioprocess Technology, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
Abstract:
The role of microbiota in gut-brain communication has led to the development of probiotics promoting brain health. Here we report a genomic study of a Lactobacillus fermentum PS150 and its patented bioactive protein, elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), which is associated with cognitive improvement in rats. The L. fermentum PS150 circular chromosome is 2,238,401 bp and it consists of 2281 genes. Chromosome comparisons with other L. fermentum strains highlighted a cluster of glycosyltransferases as potential candidate probiotic factors besides EF-Tu. Molecular evolutionary analyses on EF-Tu genes (tuf) in 235 bacteria species revealed one to three copies of the gene per genome. Seven tuf pseudogenes were found and three species only possessed pseudogenes, which is an unprecedented finding. Protein variability analysis of EF-Tu showed five highly variable residues (40 K, 41G, 42 L, 44 K, and 46E) on the protein surface, which warrant further investigation regarding their potential roles as binding sites.
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