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Utilization of amino acids by bacteria from the pig small intestine

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Abstract

This study determined the utilization of amino acids (AA) by bacteria from the lumen of the pig small intestine. Digesta samples from different segments of the small intestine were inoculated into media containing 10 mmol/L each of select AA (l-lysine, l-threonine, l-arginine, l-glutamate, l-histidine, l-leucine, l-isoleucine, l-valine, l-proline, l-methionine, l-phenylalanine or l-tryptophan) and incubated for 24 h. The previous 24-h culture served as an inoculum for a subsequent 24-h subculture during each of 30 subcultures. Results of the in vitro cultivation experiment indicated that the 24-h disappearance rates for lysine, arginine, threonine, glutamate, leucine, isoleucine, valine or histidine were 50–90% in the duodenum, jejunum or ileum groups. After 30 subcultures, the 24-h disappearance rates for lysine, threonine, arginine or glutamate remained greater than 50%. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed that Streptococcus sp., Mitsuokella sp., and Megasphaera elsdenii-like bacteria were predominant in subcultures for utilizing lysine, threonine, arginine and glutamate. In contrast, Klebsiella sp. was not a major user of arginine or glutamate. Furthermore, analysis of AA composition and the incorporation of AA into polypeptides indicated that protein synthesis was a major pathway for AA metabolism in all the bacteria studied. The current work identified the possible predominant bacterial species responsible for AA metabolism in the pig small intestine. The findings provide a new framework for future studies to characterize the metabolic fate of AA in intestinal microbes and define their nutritional significance for both animals and humans.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Amino acids

BCAA:

Branched-chain amino acids

DGGE:

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

PDV:

Portal-drained viscera

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (30810103909), the National Basic Research Program of China (2004CB117500-4), and Texas AgriLife Research Hatch Project (H-8200).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Zhao-Lai Dai, Jing Zhang & Wei-Yun Zhu

  2. Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Guoyao Wu

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  1. Zhao-Lai Dai
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  2. Jing Zhang
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Correspondence to Wei-Yun Zhu.

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Dai, ZL., Zhang, J., Wu, G. et al. Utilization of amino acids by bacteria from the pig small intestine. Amino Acids 39, 1201–1215 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-010-0556-9

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