The complete genomes of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus johnsonii reveal extensive differences in chromosome organization and gene content

Abstract

The first comprehensive comparative analysis of lactobacilli was done by comparing the genomes of Lactobacillus plantarum (3?3 Mb) and Lactobacillus johnsonii (2?0 Mb). L. johnsonii is predominantly found in the gastrointestinal tract, while L. plantarum is also found on plants and plant-derived material, and is used in a variety of industrial fermentations. The L. plantarum and L. johnsonii chromosomes have only 28 regions with conservation of gene order, totalling about 0?75 Mb; these regions are not co-linear, indicating major chromosomal rearrangements. Metabolic reconstruction indicates many differences between L. johnsonii and L. plantarum: numerous enzymes involved in sugar metabolism and in biosynthesis of amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids and cofactors are lacking in L. johnsonii. Major differences were seen in the number and types of putative extracellular proteins, which are of interest because of their possible role in host-microbe interactions. The differences between L. plantarum and L. johnsonii, both in genome organization and gene content, are exceptionally large for two bacteria of the same genus, emphasizing the difficulty in taxonomic classification of lactobacilli.

Modification of the Technical Properties of Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC 533 by Supplementing the Growth Medium with Unsaturated Fatty Acids

“…Our initial experiments confirmed that L. johnsonii NCC 533 had a growth requirement for oleic acid, and consequently Tween 80 was added to the minimal medium (4). In order to find the lowest concentration needed for uninhibited growth, a dose-response curve with oleic acid was performed (Fig.…”

Multireplicon genome architecture of Lactobacillus salivarius

“…L. plantarum has the largest Lactobacillus genome sequenced to date (3.3 Mb) and has a commensurate biochemical complexity. For example, L. plantarum possesses enzymes for the biosynthesis of all amino acids except leucine, isoleucine, and valine, whereas L. johnsonii is predicted to be incapable of synthesizing any amino acids (19). L. sakei, although displaying the highest levels of orthology with L. plantarum, is unable to synthesize 18 amino acids (18).…”

“…L. acidophilus appears to be auxotropic for 14 amino acids (17). L. johnsonii lacks the ability for de novo synthesis of purines and cofactors (16,19). In common with Streptococcus thermophilus (20), which has been passed for centuries in the nutrient-rich medium of milk, L. johnsonii and L. acidophilus appear to have undergone genome reduction in adapting to a lifestyle of close host association.…”

Diversity of the genus Lactobacillus revealed by comparative genomics of five species

“…Determination of numbers of shared orthologues revealed highest numbers with L. plantarum (61?1 % of L. salivarius proteins), followed by Enterococcus faecalis (50?4 %), L. sakei (49?8 %), L. acidophilus (46?3 %) and L. johnsonii (45?1 %); other relevant genome features are shown in Table 1. The genomes of L. plantarum and L. johnsonii have been subjected to a detailed pairwise comparative analysis (Boekhorst et al, 2004). A total of 28 regions of conserved gene order were identified, totalling 0?75 Mb, but these regions were not collinear.…”