Characterization of Putative Adhesion Genes in the Potentially Probiotic Strain Lactobacillus plantarum BFE 5092

Two putative adhesion genes of the potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum BFE 5092, i.e., a gene with similarity to an aggregation-promoting factor gene apf5092, and the mucin-binding protein gene mub5092, were investigated in this study. The gene encoding apf5092 encoded a protein bearing a predicted 26 amino acid signal peptide and a LysM domain putatively involved in binding to peptidoglycan. Moreover, the deduced protein also showed an amino acid sequence characteristic of an aggregation-promoting factor. The genes were tested for expression under different environmental conditions, and transcriptional studies on apf5092 showed that the expression could be influenced by low temperature and pH within 30 min. The aggregation behavior of the cells also changed at the low pH condition, but less noticeably at low temperature. To further investigate the role of apf5092 in aggregation, it was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The transformed strain showed higher co-aggregation ability with Gram-positive bacteria. Transcription studies on mub5092 revealed that it could be induced by mucin when added to the growth medium within 30 min. The data suggested that L. plantarum BFE 5092 can quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions and that enhanced aggregation may be important to survive low pH conditions, e.g., of the stomach or of fermented foods, and may thus be an important colonization factor.