Bacterial amylases enable glycogen degradation by the vaginal microbiome.

ABSTRACT: The human vaginal microbiota is frequently dominated by lactobacilli and transition to a more diverse community of anaerobic microbes is associated with health risks. Glycogen released by lysed epithelial cells is believed to be an important nutrient source in the vagina. However, the mechanism by which vaginal bacteria metabolize glycogen is unclear, with evidence implicating both bacterial and human enzymes. Here we biochemically characterize six glycogen-degrading enzymes (GDEs), all of which are pullanases (PulA homologues), from vaginal bacteria that support the growth of amylase-deficient Lactobacillus crispatus on glycogen. We reveal variations in their pH tolerance, substrate preferences, breakdown products and susceptibility to inhibition. Analysis of vaginal microbiome datasets s

SUBMITTER: Jenkins DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10465358 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature