| 1. |
- Andlid, Thomas, 1963, et al.
(författare)
-
Folate and Bifidobacteria
- 2018
-
Ingår i: The Bifidobacteria and Related Organisms: Biology, Taxonomy, Applications. - 9780128050606 ; , s. 195-212
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Folate is the generic term for a group of chemically related and biologically active forms of vitamin B9, needed by all organisms. Folic acid is the fully oxidized synthetic form of the vitamin. The chapter starts with nomenclature and chemical structure of folate forms followed by methodologies for extraction and chemical analysis of bacterial folate. Folates are unstable and susceptible to interconversion reactions so the special care needed to correctly determine folates in bacteria is discussed. Next follows folate biosynthesis, which happens commonly in plants and many microbes, including most bifidobacteria, but is absent in mammals, such as humans. Relevant genes, enzymes, and intermediate metabolites are described. Thereafter, the chapter continues to review folate metabolism, which describes cycling of different one-carbon units, using folate as vehicle, necessary for, for example, nucleic acid biosynthesis (purines and thymidine), amino acid homeostasis (glycine, serine, and methionine), and methylation of macromolecules, such as proteins and DNA, which includes epigenetic maintenance. Next follows a section on how biotechnology can be applied to produce high levels of microbial folate, to be used either as a food additive or as folate-producing probiotics. Finally, the main concerns and health implications from insufficient folate intake are described.
|
|
| 2. |
- Olofsson, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
-
Honeybee-Specific Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli
- 2017
-
Ingår i: The Bifidobacteria and Related Organisms : Biology, Taxonomy, Applications - Biology, Taxonomy, Applications. - 9780128050606 ; , s. 235-241
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Honeybees are one of our most important insects, not only for their pollination services but also for their production of honey. Honey is the main food for honeybees, produced from collected nectars and transported to the hive. Humans have consumed this mysterious food and applied it since ancient times in traditional medicine around the world. In 2005 we discovered an unknown key to honeybees’ health and to honey production, which was the presence of previously unknown species of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These bacterial species are constant in all honeybees and present in large amounts in fresh honey originating in all continents. They work synergistically to defend their host against microbial incoming threats introduced by nectar foraging and end up in newly produced honey through detaching from the honey stomach. Our research has shown that these beneficial symbiotic bacteria possess antimicrobial characteristics and produce a myriad of bioactive metabolites that protect honeybees against pathogens and explain honeys’ therapeutically significant properties, known by humans since ancient times. Therefore, understanding of the mechanisms of action behind these characteristics through genomic and proteomic studies are crucial in order to find future alternative to antibiotics. In this chapter we discuss the importance of these microbiota in honeybee health and the traditional medicine that is honey with focus on future perspectives.
|
|
