Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Author Spotlight: Methods for Electroporation and Transformation Confirmation in Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM20016
Published on: June 23, 2023
Comparative Genomics and Specific Functional Characteristics Analysis of Lactobacillus acidophilus
Zheng Huang1,2, Xingya Zhou1,2, Catherine Stanton3,4,5
1State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Abstract:
Lactobacillus acidophilus is a common kind of lactic acid bacteria usually found in the human gastrointestinal tract, oral cavity, vagina, and various fermented foods. At present, many studies have focused on the probiotic function and industrial application of L. acidophilus. Additionally, dozens of L. acidophilus strains have been genome sequenced, but there has been no research to compare them at the genomic level. In this study, 46 strains of L. acidophilus were performed comparative analyses to explore their genetic diversity. The results showed that all the L. acidophilus strains were divided into two clusters based on ANI values, phylogenetic analysis and whole genome comparison, due to the difference of their predicted gene composition of bacteriocin operon, CRISPR-Cas systems and prophages mainly. Additionally, L. acidophilus was a pan-genome open species with a difference in carbohydrates utilization, antibiotic resistance, EPS operon, surface layer protein operon and other functional gene composition. This work provides a better understanding of L. acidophilus from a genetic perspective, and offers a frame for the biotechnological potentiality of this species.
Related Concept Videos
Modern Molecular Taxonomy
Bacterial Phylum Firmicutes
Inducible Operons: lac Operon
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy
Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria
Bacterial Flora of the Large Intestine
The normal gut flora of the colon plays a critical role in generating essential vitamins such as vitamins K, B5, and B7.

