Nitrate promotes the growth and the production of short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan from commensal anaerobe Veillonella dispar in the lactate-deficient environment by facilitating the catabolism of glutamate and aspartate

Abstract

Veillonella spp. are nitrate-reducing bacteria with anaerobic respiratory activity that reduce nitrate to nitrite. They are obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative cocci that ferment lactate as the main carbon source and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Commensal Veillonella reside in the human body site where lactate level is, however, limited for Veillonella growth. In this study, nitrate was shown to promote the anaerobic growth of Veillonella in the lactate-deficient media. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms and the metabolism involved in nitrate respiration. Nitrate (15 mM) was demonstrated to promote Veillonella dispar growth and viability in the tryptone-yeast extract medium containing 0.5 mM L-lactate. Metabolite and transcriptomic analyses revealed nitrate enabled V. dispar to actively utilize glutamate and aspartate from the medium and secrete tryptophan. Glutamate or aspartate was further supplemented to a medium to investigate individual catabolism during nitrate respiration. Notably, nitrate was demonstrated to elevate SCFA production in the glutamate-supplemented medium, and further increase tryptophan production in the aspartate-supplemented medium. We proposed that the increased consumption of glutamate provided reducing power for nitrate respiration and aspartate served as a substrate for fumarate formation. Both glutamate and aspartate were incorporated into the central metabolic pathways via reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle and were linked with the increased production of acetate, propionate, and tryptophan. This study provides further understanding of the promoted growth and metabolic mechanisms by commensal V. dispar utilizing nitrate and specific amino acids to adapt to the lactate-deficient environment. IMPORTANCE Nitrate is a pivotal ecological factor influencing microbial community and metabolism. Dietary nitrate provides health benefits including anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive effects via microbial-derived metabolites such as nitrite. Unraveling the impacts of nitrate on the growth and metabolism of human commensal bacteria is imperative to comprehend the intricate roles of nitrate in regulating microbial metabolism, community, and human health. Veillonella are lactate-utilizing, nitrate-reducing bacteria that are frequently found in the human body site where lactate levels are low and nitrate is at millimolar levels. Here, we comprehensively described the metabolic strategies employed by V. dispar to thrive in the lactate-deficient environment using nitrate respiration and catabolism of specific amino acids. The elevated production of SCFAs and tryptophan from amino acids during nitrate respiration of V. dispar further suggested the potential roles of nitrate and Veillonella in the promotion of human health.