PUL ID

PUL0463

PubMed

18996345, Cell Host Microbe. 2008 Nov 13;4(5):447-57. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2008.09.007.

Characterization method

microarray,qPCR

Genomic accession number

AE015928.1

Nucelotide position range

520419-541138

Substrate

host glycan

Loci

BT0433-BT0445

Species

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron/818

Degradation or Biosynthesis

degradation

Cluster number

1

Gene name

Gene position

Gene type

Found by CGCFinder?

- 1 - 1209 (-) TF: DBD-Pfam|Fe_dep_repress,DBD-SUPERFAMILY|0043669 No
- 1549 - 3432 (+) CDS No
- 3471 - 4571 (+) CDS No
- 4577 - 5983 (+) TC: gnl|TC-DB|P96710|2.A.1.1.55 Yes
- 6021 - 7211 (+) other Yes
- 7260 - 9452 (+) CAZyme: GH89 Yes
- 9587 - 12706 (+) TC: gnl|TC-DB|Q45780|1.B.14.6.1 Yes
- 12721 - 14604 (+) other Yes
- 14614 - 16002 (+) other Yes
- 16020 - 17795 (+) other Yes
- 18021 - 18338 (+) other Yes
- 18350 - 19606 (+) other Yes
- 19620 - 20720 (+) CAZyme: CE2 Yes

PUL ID

PUL0463

PubMed

18996345, Cell Host Microbe. 2008 Nov 13;4(5):447-57. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2008.09.007.

Title

Mucosal glycan foraging enhances fitness and transmission of a saccharolytic human gut bacterial symbiont.

Author

Martens EC, Chiang HC, Gordon JI

Abstract

The distal human gut is a microbial bioreactor that digests complex carbohydrates. The strategies evolved by gut microbes to sense and process diverse glycans have important implications for the assembly and operation of this ecosystem. The human gut-derived bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron forages on both host and dietary glycans. Its ability to target these substrates resides in 88 polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), encompassing 18% of its genome. Whole genome transcriptional profiling and genetic tests were used to define the mechanisms underlying host glycan foraging in vivo and in vitro. PULs that target all major classes of host glycans were identified. However, mucin O-glycans are the principal host substrate foraged in vivo. Simultaneous deletion of five genes encoding ECF-sigma transcription factors, which activate mucin O-glycan utilization, produces defects in bacterial persistence in the gut and in mother-to-offspring transmission. Thus, PUL-mediated glycan catabolism is an important component in gut colonization and may impact microbiota ecology.