Metabolites of probiotics that are beneficial to human health have been isolated from the intestinal tract and natural dairy products. However, many studies on probiotics and prebiotics are limited to the observation of human cohorts and animal phenotypes. The molecular mechanisms by which metabolites of probiotics regulate health are still need further exploration. In this work, we isolated a strain of Lactobacillus Paracasei from human milk samples. We numbered it as Lactobacillus Paracasei BD5115. The mouse model of high-fat diet confirmed that the metabolites of this strain also promotes intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) proliferation. Single-cell sequencing showed that a bZIP transcription factor MAFF was specifically expressed in some IECs. We found that MAFF interacted with MBP1 to regulate the expression of MYC. Analysis of the active components in BD5115 metabolites confirmed that 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid promotes the expression of the MYC gene. This promotes the proliferation of IECs. Our findings indicate that 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid regulate MYC gene expression mediated by MAFF/MBP1 interaction. This study not only screened a strain with promoted IECs proliferation, but also discovered a new signal pathway that regulates MYC gene expression.

Background Levan is a well-known homopolymer of fructose composed predominantly of β-(2, 6) fructofuranosyl linkages in the backbone with occasional β-(2, 1) linkages in the branch chains with varied applications. However, high production cost due to low yield of microbial levan has become a bottleneck for its practical applications. Furthermore, factors affecting the molecular mass of the synthesized levan by Leuconostoc spp. during prolonged cultivation is not fully elucidated. Methods The cultivation condition for Leuconostoc citreum BD1707 to synthesize levan was optimized by single-factor experiments and subsequently with response surface methodology (RSM). The average molecular weight (Mw) of levan synthesized by the strain L.citreum BD1707 under the optimized cultivation conditions was monitored by high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). Finally, the enzyme with levan-degrading activity was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Results The levan yield of BD1707 reached 34.86 g/L with a corresponding productivity of 7.47 g/L/d under the optimal cultivation conditions deduced by RSM, i.e., cultivation at 26 °C and 200 rpm for 112 h in tomato juice supplemented with 172 g/L sucrose with an initial pH value of 6.12. The Mw of levan reached a peak value of 2.320 × 10 7 Da at 6 h of cultivation under the optimized cultivation conditions and then gradually decreased to 8.809 × 10 6 Da after 120 h of cultivation. Conclusion The levan yield of the strain L.citreum BD1707 could be sufficiently enhanced via cultivation condition optimization. The decrease in molecular mass of the synthesized levan was attributed predominantly to the hydrolytic activity of levansucrase secreted by L.citreum BD1707 during cultivation, with an estimated Mw of 130 KD by SDS-PAGE, while the effect of acid hydrolysis could be nearly neglected.

研究牛类芽孢杆菌(Paenibacillus bovis)BD3526抑制变形链球菌(Streptococcus mutans)ATCC35668的特性,拓宽P.bovis BD3526代谢产物的抑菌用途.主要研究P.bovis BD3526在麦麸培养基中的发酵特性和发酵上清液对蛋白水解酶和过氧化氢酶的敏感性、不同pH耐受性和热稳定性,以及对口腔中常见乳杆菌属生长的影响.结果表明,P.bovis BD3526发酵12 h后进入稳定期,在36 h时活性达到4.58×108 CFU/mL、pH值5.20,对Streptococcus mutans ATCC35668抑菌圈直径为(21.27±0.71)mm.该发酵上清液对口腔中常见的有益菌(植物乳杆菌和干酪乳杆菌)无抑菌活性,但对链球菌属微生物抑制作用明显.目标抑菌物质具有良好的热稳定性和pH稳定性、对消化系统蛋白水解酶和过氧化氢酶不敏感;经链霉蛋白酶处理后抑菌活性消失,表明该抑菌物质的化学结构中含有肽类成分.P.bovis BD3526代谢麦麸合成的抑菌物质对S.mutans ATCC35668具有强烈抑制且稳定的抑制效果,这为将来开发特异性功能食品配料或口腔护理产品奠定了理论基础.

Chronic low-grade inflammation is widely involved in the development and progression of metabolic syndrome, which can lead to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Dysregulation of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines not only impairs insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells but also results in systemic complications in late diabetes. In our previous work, metabolites produced by Paenibacillus bovis sp. nov. BD3526, which were isolated from Tibetan yak milk, demonstrated antidiabetic effects in Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats. In this work, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to further explore the impact of BD3526 metabolites on the intestinal cell composition of GK rats. Oral administration of the metabolites significantly reduced the number of adipocytes in the colon tissue of GK rats. In addition, cluster analysis of immune cells confirmed that the metabolites reduced the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β in macrophages in the colon and increased the numbers of dendritic cells (DCs) and regulatory T (Treg) cells. Further mechanistic studies of DCs confirmed that activation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway in DCs promoted the expression of IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, thereby increasing the number of Treg cells.