Biology subjects

Nordberg Karlsson, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Nordberg Karlsson, E..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Fermentation of the Edible Brown Seaweed Alaria esculenta by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum affects nutritional prfile and the content of potentially toxic elements.

Edible seaweed has the potential to become a valuable marine resource for food applications due to its potential health benefits and ecological sustainability. The brown seaweed Alaria esculenta is rich in essential minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibers, making it a nutritious food source. Fermentation, as a traditional preservation method, can enhance seaweed shelf-life and be useful for the development of new foods/ beverages. In this study, the effects of fermentation of A. esculenta, by the lactic acid bacterium (LAB) Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, on the nutritional profile, and the content of potentially toxic elements, was investigated. L. plantarum was successfully cultivated on A. esculenta using two modes of operation, submerged (SmF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF), resulting in production of cells and lactic acid, and reduction of the pH to below 4.3 within 3 days, which was not achieved in parallel spontaneous fermentations using indigenous seaweed microbiota. A. esculenta s macro-nutritional profile was altered, reducing mannitol but increasing fucose and glucose content (after acid hydrolysis) while also concentrating the protein content. LAB fermentation significantly increased the concentration of antioxidant phenolic compounds, such as phloroglucinol, syringic acid, and epicatechin, compared to untreated samples. However, lipophilic compounds like carotenoids decreased after both spontaneous and LAB-fermentation. A reduction in total mineral content was observed after LAB fermentation and water soaking, and SmF with L. plantarum effectively reduced arsenic and iodine levels. Overall, fermentation using L. plantarum showed potential as a bio-preservation method for the edible brown seaweed, A. esculenta, improving its nutritional profile and enhancing food safety.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Characterization of a GH17 laminarinase, MlGH17A, from a laminarin polysaccharide utilization locus in the marine bacterium Muricauda lutaonensis

Heterotrophic marine microorganisms have the capability to degrade and metabolize laminarin, which is the most abundant source of energy and nutrients in the marine environment, via enzymes encoded by genes clustered in polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs). In this study, a PUL potentially responsible for laminarin utilization was identified in the genome of the marine bacterium Muricauda lutaonensis strain ISCAR-4703, with conserved synteny in the genus Muricauda. A GH17 laminarinase (MlGH17A) encoded in the newly identified PUL was cloned, produced, and characterized as an endo-acting laminarinase, exhibiting the ability to degrade laminarin and laminari-oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) greater than four into laminaribiose, laminaritriose, and laminaritetraose, with laminaritriose as the main product making up >50% of the produced oligosaccharide products. The three-dimensional model of the enzyme revealed the presence of seven putative subsites, including four glycone subsites (-4 to -1) and three aglycone subsites (+1 to +3), with a wide cleft to accommodate branches at the -2 subsite, enabling it to act on {beta}-1,3 linked backbones in polysaccharides with {beta}-1,6 linked branches. This enzyme is, along with the recently characterized {beta}-1,3 glucanosyltransglycosylase (MlGH17B), conserved in several Muricauda species and is suggested to play a crucial role in the utilization of laminarin by these bacteria. ImportanceLaminarin, a {beta}-1,3-glucan with occasional {beta}-1,6 branching, is the most abundant source of energy and nutrients in the marine environment. In this study, polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) for laminarin degradation were identified in various marine Muricauda species, encoding a range of glycoside hydrolases and transglycosylases. In Muricauda lutaonensis ISCAR-4703, the PUL included two GH17 enzymes, separated by a GH30 enzyme and a major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporter, a feature observed in all corresponding Muricauda PULs. A novel endoacting laminarinase from the PUL, MlGH17A, was characterized and shown to hydrolyze laminarin into laminaribiose, laminaritriose, and laminaritetraose, with laminaritriose as main product. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the enzyme lacked the typical subdomain found in GH17 plant {beta}-glucanases, leading to a lower number of aglycone subsites (+1 to +3). Instead, MlGH17A possessed more glycone subsites (-1 to -4), attributed to the {beta}3-3 loop, which was longer than in GH17 plant {beta}-glucanases.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2022

Sialidases and Fucosidases of Akkermansia muciniphila are crucial for growth on mucin and nutrient sharing with mucus-associated gut bacteria

The gut mucolytic specialist Akkermansia muciniphila is strongly associated with the integrity of the mucus layer. Mucin glycan utilization requires the removal of diverse protective caps, notably, fucose and sialic acid, but the enzymatic details of this process remain largely unknown. Here, we describe the specificities of ten A. muciniphila glycoside hydrolases, which collectively remove all known sialyl and fucosyl mucin caps including those with double sulphated epitopes. Structural analyses revealed an unprecedented fucosidase modular arrangement and explained the exclusive sialyl T-antigen specificity of a sialidase of a previously unknown family and catalytic apparatus. Key cell attached sialidases and fucosidases conferred mucin-binding and their inhibition abolished growth of A. muciniphila on mucin. Remarkably, the sialic acid fucose did not contribute to A. muciniphila growth, but instead promoted butyrate production by co-cultured Clostridia. This study brings unique mechanistic insight into the initiation of mucin O-glycan degradation by A. muciniphila and the nutrient sharing between key mucus-associated bacteria.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Novel xylan degrading enzymes from polysaccharide utilizing loci of Prevotella copri DSM18205

Prevotella copri DSM18205 is a bacterium, classified under Bacteroidetes that can be found in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The role of P. copri in the GIT is unclear, and elevated numbers of the microbe have been reported both in dietary fiber-induced improvement in glucose metabolism but also in conjunction with certain inflammatory conditions. These findings raised our interest in investigating the possibility of P. copri to grow on xylan, and identify the enzyme systems playing a role in digestion of xylan-based dietary fibers in P. copri, which currently are unexplored. Two xylan degrading polysaccharide utilizing loci (PUL10 and 15) were found in the genome, with three and eight GH-encoding genes, respectively. Three of the eight gene products were successfully produced in Escherichia coli: One monomeric two-domain extracellular enzyme from GH43 (subfamily 12, in PUL10, 60 kDa) and two dimeric single module enzymes from PUL15, one extracellular GH10 (41 kDa), and one intracellular GH43 subfamily 1 enzyme (37 kDa). The GH43_12 enzyme was hydrolysing arabinofuranose residues from different substrates, and a model of the 3D-structure revealed a single arabinose binding pocket. The GH10 (1) and GH43_1 are cleaving the xylan backbone. Hydrolysis products of GH10 (1) were DP2-4, and seven subsites (-3 to +4) were predicted in the 3D-model of the GH10 active site. GH43_1 mainly produced xylose (in line with its intracellular location). Based on our results we propose that in PUL15, GH10 (1) is an extracellular endo-1,4-{beta}-xylanase, that hydrolyses mainly glucuronosylated xylan polymers to xylooligosaccharides (XOS); while, GH43_1 in the same PUL, is an intracellular {beta}-xylosidase, catalysing complete hydrolysis of the XOS to xylose. In PUL10, the characterized GH43_12 is an arabinofuranosidase, with a role in degradation of arabinoxylan, catalysing removal of arabinose-residues on xylan polymers.

biochemistry↗