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. 2014 Feb 24;4(2):e109.
doi: 10.1038/nutd.2014.6.

Comparative genomics analysis of Lactobacillus species associated with weight gain or weight protection

F Drissi  1 , V Merhej  1 , E Angelakis  1 , A El Kaoutari  1 , F Carrière  2 , B Henrissat  3 , D Raoult  1
Affiliations

Comparative genomics analysis of Lactobacillus species associated with weight gain or weight protection

F Drissi et al. Nutr Diabetes. .

Abstract

Background: Some Lactobacillus species are associated with obesity and weight gain while others are associated with weight loss. Lactobacillus spp. and bifidobacteria represent a major bacterial population of the small intestine where lipids and simple carbohydrates are absorbed, particularly in the duodenum and jejunum. The objective of this study was to identify Lactobacillus spp. proteins involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism associated with weight modifications.

Methods: We examined a total of 13 complete genomes belonging to seven different Lactobacillus spp. previously associated with weight gain or weight protection. We combined the data obtained from the Rapid Annotation using Subsystem Technology, Batch CD-Search and Gene Ontology to classify gene function in each genome.

Results: We observed major differences between the two groups of genomes. Weight gain-associated Lactobacillus spp. appear to lack enzymes involved in the catabolism of fructose, defense against oxidative stress and the synthesis of dextrin, L-rhamnose and acetate. Weight protection-associated Lactobacillus spp. encoded a significant gene amount of glucose permease. Regarding lipid metabolism, thiolases were only encoded in the genome of weight gain-associated Lactobacillus spp. In addition, we identified 18 different types of bacteriocins in the studied genomes, and weight gain-associated Lactobacillus spp. encoded more bacteriocins than weight protection-associated Lactobacillus spp.

Conclusions: The results of this study revealed that weight protection-associated Lactobacillus spp. have developed defense mechanisms for enhanced glycolysis and defense against oxidative stress. Weight gain-associated Lactobacillus spp. possess a limited ability to breakdown fructose or glucose and might reduce ileal brake effects.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microbial colonization of the human gastrointestinal tract and nutrients absorbed.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Strategy used for the genome annotation and bacteriocin gene analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of the gene content profiles obtained for weight gain or weight protection-associated Lactobacillus, proportional to the size of the genomes (radar plot).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation of the metabolic pathways associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism involving Lactobacillus genomes. The blue arrows show reactions present in weight protection-associated species. The pink arrows show reactions present in weight gain-associated species.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Overview of bacteriocin distribution in Lactobacillus spp. The phylogenetic tree of the bacteriocin sequences identified in the genomes studied was constructed using the Neighbor-Joining method, under the JTT model with 100 bootstrap sampling.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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