RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A versatile genetic toolbox for <em>Prevotella copri</em> enables studying polysaccharide utilization systems
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.03.19.436125
DO 10.1101/2021.03.19.436125
A1 Jing Li
A1 Eric J.C. Gálvez
A1 Lena Amend
A1 Éva Almasi
A1 Aida Iljazovic
A1 Till R. Lesker
A1 Agata A. Bielecka
A1 Till Strowig
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/03/19/2021.03.19.436125.abstract
AB Prevotella copri is a prevalent inhabitant of the human gut and has been associated with plant-rich diet consumption and diverse health states. The underlying genetic basis of these associations remains enigmatic due to the lack of genetic tools. Here, we developed a novel versatile genetic toolbox for rapid and efficient genetic insertion and allelic exchange applicable to P. copri strains from multiple clades. Enabled by the genetic platform, we systematically investigated the specificity of polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), and identified four highly conserved PULs for utilizing arabinan, pectic galactan, arabinoxylan and inulin, respectively. Further genetic and functional analysis of arabinan utilization systems illustrate that P. copri has evolved two distinct types of arabinan-processing PULs (PULAra) and that the type-II PULAra is significantly enriched in individuals consuming a vegan diet compared to other diets. In summary, this genetic toolbox will enable functional genetic studies for P. copri in the future.