A lacto-N-biose phosphorylase (LNBP) was purified from the cell extract of Bifidobacterium bifidum. Its N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences were homologous with those of the hypothetical protein of Bifidobacterium longum NCC2705 encoded by the BL1641 gene. The homologous gene of the type strain B. longum JCM1217, lnpA, was expressed in Escherichia coli to confirm that it encoded LNBP. ...

Live bacteria (such as probiotics) have long been used to modulate gut microbiota and human physiology, but their colonization is mostly transient. Conceptual understanding of the ecological principles as they apply to exogenously introduced microbes in gut ecosystems is lacking. We find that, when orally administered to humans, Bifidobacterium longum AH1206 stably persists in the gut of 30% of...

BACKGROUND The success of the probiotics in delivery of health benefits depends on their ability to withstand the technological and gastrointestinal conditions; hence development of robust cultures is critical to the probiotic industry. Combinations of probiotic cultures have proven to be more effective than the use of single cultures for treatment and prevention of heterogeneous diseases. We i...

In this study, we describe the functional characterization of the Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 gal locus, which is dedicated to the utilization of galactan, a plant-derived polysaccharide. Using a combination of molecular approaches we conclude that the galA gene of B. breve UCC2003 encodes a β-1,4-endogalactanase producing galacto-oligosaccharides, which are specifically internalized by an AB...

Although probiotics are generally considered to be safe, their increasingly widespread use warrants better understanding of their risks in companion animals. This study evaluated the safety and tolerance of dietary supplementation with a canine-derived probiotic, Bifidobacterium animalis strain AHC7 (Prostora, Procter & Gamble Pet Care), fed to growing beagles beginning at approximately 6 month...

Stable isotope labeling of amino acids in cell culture was used for Bifidobacterium longum. A comprehensive proteomic strategy was developed and validated by designing an appropriate semidefined medium that allows stable replacement of natural leucine by [(13)C6]leucine. Using this strategy, proteins having variations of at least 50% in their expression rates can be quantified with great confid...

The complete lacto-N-biose I/galacto-N-biose metabolic pathway in 1 Bifidobacterium longum: identification of N-acetylhexosamine 1-kinase* 2 3 Mamoru Nishimoto and Motomitsu Kitaoka 4 National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan 5 6 Running title: Lacto-N-biose I/galacto-N-biose pathway in bifidobacterium 7 8 Corresponding author. Mailing address: Nationa...

The ability of three known probiotic strains (two lactobacilli and one bifidobacterium) to ferment fructooligosaccharides (FOS) from yacon roots (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp. Endl) was compared to commercial FOS in this study. Results indicate that Lactobacillus acidophilus NRRL-1910, Lactobacillus plantarum NRRL B-4496, and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 15696 were able to ferment yacon root ...

Lactobacillus reuteri and Bifidobacterium bifidum were inoculated (2.8·10 and 4.7·10 CFU/mL, respectively) into reconstituted whey containing sucrose and pectin in order to prepare a fermented probiotic product. Inoculation levels were: 0.5, 1 or 2 % for Lactobacillus reuteri and 0.5 or 1 % for Bifidobacterium bifidum. The treatment with the highest bacterial counts and sensory scores was selec...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro probiotic properties of Pediococcus pentosaceus CECT 8330 and Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7894 and their suitability as candidates for treating infantile excessive crying syndrome. Results reveal that P. pentosaceus is able to induce IL-10 production, and the combination with B. longum CECT 7894 shows a broad spectrum inhibitory activity agains...