Genomic and genetic characterization of the bile stress response of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730.

ABSTRACT: Probiotic bacteria encounter various stresses after ingestion by the host, including exposure to the low pH in the stomach and bile in the small intestine. The probiotic microorganism Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730 has previously been shown to survive in the human small intestine. To address how L. reuteri can resist bile stress, we performed microarray experiments to determine gene expression changes that occur when the organism is exposed to physiological concentrations of bile. A wide variety of genes that displayed differential expression in the presence of bile indicated that the cells were dealing with several types of stress, including cell envelope stress, protein denaturation, and DNA damage. Mutations in three genes were found to decrease the strain's ability to survive bile ex

SUBMITTER: Whitehead K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2268311 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature