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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2005, p. 979-986, Vol. 71, No. 2
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.2.979-986.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A High-Molecular-Mass Surface Protein (Lsp) and Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase B (MsrB) Contribute to the Ecological Performance of Lactobacillus reuteri in the Murine Gut

Jens Walter,1,2* Patrice Chagnaud,1,{dagger} Gerald W. Tannock,1 Diane M. Loach,1 Fabio Dal Bello,2 Howard F. Jenkinson,3 Walter P. Hammes,2 and Christian Hertel2

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand,1 Institute of Food Technology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany,2 Department of Oral and Dental Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom3

Received 20 June 2004/ Accepted 3 September 2004

Members of the genus Lactobacillus are common inhabitants of the gut, yet little is known about the traits that contribute to their ecological performance in gastrointestinal ecosystems. Lactobacillus reuteri 100-23 persists in the gut of the reconstituted Lactobacillus-free mouse after a single oral inoculation. Recently, three genes of this strain that were specifically induced (in vivo induced) in the murine gut were identified (38). We report here the detection of a gene of L. reuteri 100-23 that encodes a high-molecular-mass surface protein (Lsp) that shows homology to proteins involved in the adherence of other bacteria to epithelial cells and in biofilm formation. The three in vivo-induced genes and lsp of L. reuteri 100-23 were inactivated by insertional mutagenesis in order to study their biological importance in the murine gastrointestinal tract. Competition experiments showed that mutation of lsp and a gene encoding methionine sulfoxide reductase (MsrB) reduced ecological performance. Mutation of lsp impaired the adherence of the bacteria to the epithelium of the mouse forestomach and altered colonization dynamics. Homologues of lsp and msrB are present in the genomes of several strains of Lactobacillus and may play an important role in the maintenance of these bacteria in gut ecosystems.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. Phone: 64 3 479 7715. Fax: 64 3 479 8540. E-mail: jens.walter{at}stonebow.otago.ac.nz.

{dagger} Present address: Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé (AFSSAPS), F-69007 Lyon, France.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2005, p. 979-986, Vol. 71, No. 2
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.2.979-986.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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