This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sumida, T. Articles by Ito, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sumida, T. Articles by Ito, M. Agricola Articles by Sumida, T. Articles by Ito, M.

Utilization of Ganglioside-Degrading Paenibacillus sp. Strain TS12 for Production of Glucosylceramide

Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan

Received 1 April 2002/ Accepted 9 August 2002

Gangliosides, sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids, are membrane constituents of vertebrates and are known to have important roles in cellular differentiation, adhesion, and recognition. We report here the isolation of a bacterium capable of degrading gangliotetraose-series gangliosides and a new method for the production of glucosylceramide with this bacterium. GM1a ganglioside was found to be sequentially degraded by Paenibacillus sp. strain TS12, which was isolated from soil, as follows: GM1a asialo GM1 asialo GM2 lactosylceramide glucosylceramide. TS12 was found to produce a series of ganglioside-degrading enzymes, such as sialidases, ß-galactosidases, and ß-hexosaminidases. TS12 also produced ß-glucosidases, but glucosylceramide was somewhat resistant to the bacterial enzyme under the conditions used. Taking advantage of the specificity, we developed a new method for the production of glucosylceramide using TS12 as a biocatalyst. The method involves the conversion of crude bovine brain gangliosides to glucosylceramide by coculture with TS12 and purification of the product by chromatography with Wakogel C-300 HG.