0000000000326950

AUTHOR

Frank G. Oppenheim

Commensal Bacterium Rothia aeria Degrades and Detoxifies Gluten via a Highly Effective Subtilisin Enzyme

Celiac disease is characterized by a chronic immune-mediated inflammation of the small intestine, triggered by gluten contained in wheat, barley, and rye. Rothia aeria, a gram-positive natural colonizer of the oral cavity and the upper digestive tract is able to degrade and detoxify gluten in vitro. The objective of this study was to assess gluten-degrading activity of live and dead R. aeria bacteria in vitro, and to isolate the R. aeria gluten-degrading enzyme. Methods: After an overnight fast, Balb/c mouse were fed a 1 g pellet of standard chow containing 50% wheat (and 4% gliadin) with or without 1.6 &times

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The cultivable human oral gluten-degrading microbiome and its potential implications in coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity

AbstractCoeliac disease is characterized by intestinal inflammation caused by gluten, proteins which are widely contained in the Western diet. Mammalian digestive enzymes are only partly capable of cleaving gluten, and fragments remain that induce toxic responses in patients with coeliac disease. We found that the oral microbiome is a novel and rich source of gluten-degrading organisms. Here we report on the isolation and characterization of the cultivable resident oral microbes that are capable of cleaving gluten, with special emphasis on the immunogenic domains. Bacteria were obtained by a selective culturing approach and enzyme activities were characterized by: (i) hydrolysis of paranitr…

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Identification of Rothia Bacteria as Gluten-Degrading Natural Colonizers of the Upper Gastro-Intestinal Tract

Background Gluten proteins, prominent constituents of barley, wheat and rye, cause celiac disease in genetically predisposed subjects. Gluten is notoriously difficult to digest by mammalian proteolytic enzymes and the protease-resistant domains contain multiple immunogenic epitopes. The aim of this study was to identify novel sources of gluten-digesting microbial enzymes from the upper gastro-intestinal tract with the potential to neutralize gluten epitopes. Methodology/Principal Findings Oral microorganisms with gluten-degrading capacity were obtained by a selective plating strategy using gluten agar. Microbial speciations were carried out by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Enzyme activities wer…

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