ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2009
Comparative genomic analysis of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG reveals pili containing a human- mucus binding protein.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 323 papers.
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Who cites it
323 citing papers in PubMed, 717 citations in OpenAlex.
- Infant behavioral state and stool microbiome in infants receiving Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus GG in formula: randomized controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2022Trial
- Functional dynamics of the gut microbiome in elderly people during probiotic consumption.mBio · 2015Trial
- Adhesion-Enhanced Engineered Probiotic for Prolonged Intestinal Retention and Calprotectin-Responsive IBD Therapy.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Whey protein isolate enhances the growth and probiotic features of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Genome-Informed Characterization of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ND88 with Inhibitory Activity against Representative Oral Pathogens.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Article
- Nutrient control enables metabolic reconstruction ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Live and heat-treatediScience · 2026Article
- Comparative Genome Analysis and Characterization of Lacticaseibacillus Paracasei NKN344 Strain Isolated from Curd of Buffalo Milk Reared on Brackish Water Lagoons of the Eastern Indian Coast.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Article
- The probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC10241 inhibits wound-associated pathogens through the secretion of organic acids.Scientific reports · 2026Article
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- Pangenome-based design of strain-specific primers enables precise monitoring of bacteria in human microbiome intervention trials.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Hybrid genome assembly and comprehensive genomic analysis of Lactiplantibacillus pentosus LP309 reveal its probiotic and technological potential.BMC genomics · 2026Article
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- Probiogenomics as a Computational Biotechnology Framework: Safety-Gated Genome Analytics for Candidate Probiotic Prioritization and Validation.Computational and structural biotechnology journal · 2026Review
- Probiotics for ulcerative colitis: mechanisms, therapeutic advances, and emerging strategies.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Adhesion Properties and Pathogen Inhibition of Vaginal-Derived Lactobacilli.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2025Article
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- Unlocking Probiotic Potential: Physicochemical Approaches to Evaluate Probiotic Bacterial Adhesion Potential to the Intestinal Tract.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2025Article
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- Influence of the pili ofApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
263 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
30 authors at 7 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To unravel the biological function of the widely used probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, we compared its 3.0-Mbp genome sequence with the similarly sized genome of L. rhamnosus LC705, an adjunct starter culture exhibiting reduced binding to mucus. Both genomes demonstrated high sequence identity and synteny. However, for both strains, genomic islands, 5 in GG and 4 in LC705, punctuated the colinearity. A significant number of strain-specific genes were predicted in these islands (80 in GG and 72 in LC705). The GG-specific islands included genes coding for bacteriophage components, sugar metabolism and transport, and exopolysaccharide biosynthesis. One island only found in L. rhamnosus GG contained genes for 3 secreted LPXTG-like pilins (spaCBA) and a pilin-dedicated sortase. Using anti-SpaC antibodies, the physical presence of cell wall-bound pili was confirmed by immunoblotting. Immunogold electron microscopy showed that the SpaC pilin is located at the pilus tip but also sporadically throughout the structure. Moreover, the adherence of strain GG to human intestinal mucus was blocked by SpaC antiserum and abolished in a mutant carrying an inactivated spaC gene. Similarly, binding to mucus was demonstrated for the purified SpaC protein. We conclude that the presence of SpaC is essential for the mucus interaction of L. rhamnosus GG and likely explains its ability to persist in the human intestinal tract longer than LC705 during an intervention trial. The presence of mucus-binding pili on the surface of a nonpathogenic Gram-positive bacterial strain reveals a previously undescribed mechanism for the interaction of selected probiotic lactobacilli with host tissues.
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