A metagenomic β-glucuronidase uncovers a core adaptive function of the human intestinal microbiome.

ABSTRACT: In the human gastrointestinal tract, bacterial β-D-glucuronidases (BG; E.C. 3.2.1.31) are involved both in xenobiotic metabolism and in some of the beneficial effects of dietary compounds. Despite their biological significance, investigations are hampered by the fact that only a few BGs have so far been studied. A functional metagenomic approach was therefore performed on intestinal metagenomic libraries using chromogenic glucuronides as probes. Using this strategy, 19 positive metagenomic clones were identified but only one exhibited strong β-D-glucuronidase activity when subcloned into an expression vector. The cloned gene encoded a β-D-glucuronidase (called H11G11-BG) that had distant amino acid sequence homologies and an additional C terminus domain compared with known β-D-glucuronidas

SUBMITTER: Gloux K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3063586 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature