Authors
Weichao Cao, Yaxian Liu, Nuo Chen, Yuhang Wang, Yiasmin Mst Nushrat, Shouzheng Qiao, Lisha Tang, Zhen Sun, Rongrong Lu, Cong Liu, Xiao Hua
Published in
Carbohydrate polymers. Volume 368. Issue Pt 2. Pages 124162. Nov 15, 2025. Epub Aug 05, 2025.
Abstract
Pectin with different apparent molecular weight (Mapp), degree of esterification (DE), and monosaccharide composition was prepared and characterized. Subsequently, the utilization behavior of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Lactobacillus rhamnosus towards pectin was investigated. Meanwhile, the microbial enzymes and genes involved in pectin degradation were identified to reveal the relationship between pectin structure and fermentability. Results show that subcritical water treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis can reduce the Mapp of pectin to the oligomeric level. L. rhamnosus is unable to utilize pectin with a Mapp of ~10 kDa, while low-Mapp pectin (~1 kDa) supports its robust growth. Compared to high-esterified pectin and neutral fraction, low-esterified pectin and acid fraction were more favorable for the growth of B. thetaiotaomicron. At the genetic level, B. thetaiotaomicron encodes almost all the enzymes involved in pectin degradation (44 Cazymes, 197 genes), whereas the quantity and variety of pectinolytic enzymes were limited in L. rhamnosus (20 Cazymes, 74 genes). Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that B. thetaiotaomicron can recognize the complex structure of pectin and upregulate corresponding polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs). The PULs identified in L. rhamnosus contain genes related to both pectin degradation and metabolism. This work provides insights into the mechanism of pectin degradation by bacteria.
PMID:
40947252
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Sep 2025.
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