Glycosulfatase-Encoding Gene Cluster in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003
ABSTRACTBifidobacteria constitute a specific group of commensal bacteria typically found in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of humans and other mammals.Bifidobacterium brevestrains are numerically prevalent among the gut microbiota of many healthy breastfed infants. In the present study, we investigated glycosulfatase activity in a bacterial isolate from a nursling stool sample,B. breveUCC2003. Two putative sulfatases were identified on the genome ofB. breveUCC2003. The sulfated monosaccharideN-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate (GlcNAc-6-S) was shown to support the growth ofB. breveUCC2003, whileN-acetylglucosamine-3-sulfate,N-acetylgalactosamine-3-sulfate, andN-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate did not support appreciable growth. By using a combination of transcriptomic and functional genomic approaches, a gene cluster designatedats2was shown to be specifically required for GlcNAc-6-S metabolism. Transcription of theats2cluster is regulated by a repressor open reading frame kinase (ROK) family transcriptional repressor. This study represents the first description of glycosulfatase activity within theBifidobacteriumgenus.IMPORTANCEBifidobacteria are saccharolytic organisms naturally found in the digestive tract of mammals and insects.Bifidobacterium brevestrains utilize a variety of plant- and host-derived carbohydrates that allow them to be present as prominent members of the infant gut microbiota as well as being present in the gastrointestinal tract of adults. In this study, we introduce a previously unexplored area of carbohydrate metabolism in bifidobacteria, namely, the metabolism of sulfated carbohydrates.B. breveUCC2003 was shown to metabolizeN-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate (GlcNAc-6-S) through one of two sulfatase-encoding gene clusters identified on its genome. GlcNAc-6-S can be found in terminal or branched positions of mucin oligosaccharides, the glycoprotein component of the mucous layer that covers the digestive tract. The results of this study provide further evidence of the ability of this species to utilize mucin-derived sugars, a trait which may provide a competitive advantage in both the infant gut and adult gut.