The gene encoding xylulose-5-phosphate/fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase (xfp) is conserved amongBifidobacteriumspecies within a more variable region of the genome and both are useful for strain identification

Abstract

The nucleotide sequence of the xfp-gene region in six known and two unknown species of Bifidobacterium was determined and compared with the published sequences of B. animalis subsp. lactis DSM10140 and B. longum biovar longum NCC2705. The xfp coding sequences were 73% identical and coded for 825 amino acids in all 10 sequences. Partial sequences of an adjacent gene, guaA, were 61% identical in six sequences for which data were available. The region between xfp and guaA was variable in both length and sequence. Oligonucleotide sequences from the conserved and variable xfp regions were used as PCR primers, in combinations of appropriate specificity, for the detection and identification of Bifidobacterium isolates.

Catabolism of Glucose and Lactose in Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, Studied by 13 C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

“…As expected, the profile of [1-13 C Gal ]Lac consumption fully resembled that of [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] C Glc ]Lac consumption, displaying biphasic kinetics and similar values for the maximal rate of utilization ( Fig. 4; compare Fig.…”

“…Moreover, we used perchloric acid cell extract experiments to confirm that Glc and Lac metabolism in BB-12 goes through by the bifid shunt. For this purpose, we characterized the metabolism of [1-13 C]Glc, [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] C]Glc, and [3-13 C]Glc in Glc-grown cells and we used [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] C Glc ]Lac, [1- 13 C Gal ]Lac, and [1-13 C]Glc in Lac-grown cells to unravel the partitioning of sugar substrate carbon throughout the metabolic network of this strain. Abbreviations: ␤-Gal, ␤-galactosidase; Pgm, phosphoglucomutase; GlkA, glucokinase; Gpi, Glc 6-phosphate isomerase; Xfp, fructose 6-phosphate phosphoketolase; Adh2, alcohol dehydrogenas; AckA, acetate kinase; Ldh2, lactate dehydrogenase; Pfl, pyruvate formate lyase; Tal, transaldolase; Tkt, transketolase; GalK, galactokinase; GalT, galactose 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase; UgpA, UTP-Glc 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase; GalE, UDP-Glc 4-epimerase; Gap, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; Pgk, phosphoglycerate kinase; Gpm, phosphoglycerate mutase; Eno, enolase, Pyk, pyruvate kinase; Glc, glucose; Gal, galactose; Gal1P, galactose 1-phosphate; Glc1P, glucose 1-phosphate; Glc6P, glucose 6-phosphate; F6P, fructose 6-phosphate; E4P, erythrose 4-phosphate; S7P, sedoheptulose 7-phosphate; R5P, ribulose 5-phopshate; X5P, xylulose 5-phosphate; GAP, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate; 1,3-BPG, 1,3-bisphopshoglycerate; 3-PGA, 3-phosphoglycerate; 2-PGA, 2-phosphoglycerate; PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate; Lactate Out , extracellular lactate; Acetate out , extracellular acetate.…”

Metascardovia criceti Gen. Nov., Sp. Nov., from Hamster Dental Plaque

“…In recent years, several house keeping genes, such as genes encoding transaldolase, ATPase (atpBEFHAGDC), elongation factor Tu (tuf), and xylulose-5-phosphate/fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase (xfp), and recombination protein A (recA) have been used for taxonomical studies of bifidobacterial species (15,18,29,30,34). Further, because of their highly conserved primary structures and ubiquity, genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSP60 gene; also known as groEL or cpn60, groES and dnaK genes) were used for detection and identification of microorganisms (5,8,11,25,28,31).…”

Quantification of Human Fecal Bifidobacterium Species by Use of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis Targeting the groEL Gene

“…Alternative target genes for the differentiation of Bifidobacterium species include housekeeping genes, such as atpD (49), dnaK (52), groEL (21,27,47,50,55), groES (50), recA (23,51), tal (37), tuf (48,51), and xfp (5,47,54). All these genes except groES were demonstrated to have similar or even higher discriminating power for bifidobacteria than the 16S rRNA gene.…”