Abstract
The human gut is a complex environment of different bacterial species, nutrient sources, and changing conditions that are essential for human health. An imbalance can allow for the emergence of opportunistic pathogens. Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are utilized by bacteria to metabolize less common nutrients, conferring a growth advantage. Although widely studied in enteropathogens, there is limited research on BMC activity in commensal species. We demonstrate the formation of the eut BMC and utilization of ethanolamine as a carbon source in the human gut commensal Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN). Additionally, we found increased ammonium production when EcN utilized ethanolamine but did not see the same in Salmonella enterica, highlighting potential differences in how these species affect the wider microbial community.
Published Version
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