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Published on: November 29, 2014
Bifidobacterium response to lactulose ingestion in the gut relies on a solute-binding protein-dependent ABC
Keisuke Yoshida1, Rika Hirano2,3, Yohei Sakai4
1Next Generation Science Institute, RD Division, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Japan. keisuke-yoshida826@morinagamilk.co.jp.
Abstract:
This study aims to understand the mechanistic basis underlying the response of Bifidobacterium to lactulose ingestion in guts of healthy Japanese subjects, with specific focus on a lactulose transporter. An in vitro assay using mutant strains of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum 105-A shows that a solute-binding protein with locus tag number BL105A_0502 (termed LT-SBP) is primarily involved in lactulose uptake. By quantifying faecal abundance of LT-SBP orthologues, which is defined by phylogenetic analysis, we find that subjects with 107 to 109 copies of the genes per gram of faeces before lactulose ingestion show a marked increase in Bifidobacterium after ingestion, suggesting the presence of thresholds between responders and non-responders to lactulose. These results help predict the prebiotics-responder and non-responder status and provide an insight into clinical interventions that test the efficacy of prebiotics.
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