Lacticaseibacillus Rhamnosus
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''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' (previously ''Lactobacillus rhamnosus'') is a
bacterium Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...
that originally was considered to be a subspecies of ''
L. casei ''Lacticaseibacillus casei'' is an organism that belongs to the largest genus in the family ''Lactobacillaceae'', a lactic acid bacteria (LAB), that was previously classified as ''Lactobacillus casei''. This bacteria has been identified as Facul ...
'', but genetic research found it to be a separate species in the ''L. casei'' clade, which also includes '' L. paracasei'' and ''L. zeae''. It is a short
Gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. The Gram stain is ...
homofermentative
facultative anaerobic A facultative anaerobic organism is an organism that makes ATP by aerobic respiration if oxygen is present, but is capable of switching to fermentation if oxygen is absent. Some examples of facultatively anaerobic bacteria are ''Staphylococcus' ...
non-spore-forming rod that often appears in chains. Some strains of ''L. rhamnosus'' bacteria are being used as
probiotic Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the microbiota in the gut. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria– host interactions ...
s, and are particularly useful in treating infections of the female urogenital tract, most particularly very difficult to treat cases of
bacterial vaginosis Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina caused by excessive growth of bacteria. Common symptoms include increased vaginal discharge that often smells like fish. The discharge is usually white or gray in color. Burning with urina ...
(or "BV"). The species ''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' and ''
Limosilactobacillus reuteri ''Limosilactobacillus reuteri'' is a lactic acid bacterium found in a variety of natural environments, including the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other animals. It does not appear to be pathogenic and may have health effects. Discove ...
'' are commonly found in the healthy female genito-urinary tract and are helpful to regain control of dysbiotic bacterial overgrowth during an active infection. ''L. rhamnosus'' sometimes is used in
dairy product Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...
s such as fermented milk and as non-starter-lactic acid bacterium (NSLAB) in long-ripened cheese. While frequently considered a beneficial organism, ''L. rhamnosus'' may not be as beneficial to certain subsets of the population; in rare circumstances, especially those primarily involving
weakened immune system Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromise, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that affec ...
or infants, it may cause
endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, o ...
. Despite the rare infections caused by ''L. rhamnosus'', the species is included in the list of bacterial species with qualified presumed safety (QPS) status of the
European Food Safety Agency The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002 ...
.


Genome

''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' is considered a nomadic organism and strains have been isolated from many different environments including the vagina and the gastrointestinal tract. ''L. rhamnosus'' strains have the capacity for strain-specific gene functions that are required to adapt to a large range of environments. Its core
genome A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...
contains 2,164 genes, out of 4,711 genes in total (the
pan-genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a pan-genome (pangenome or supragenome) is the entire set of genes from all strains within a clade. More generally, it is the union of all the genomes of a clade. The pan-genome can be broken do ...
). The accessory genome is overtaken by genes encoding carbohydrate transport and metabolism, extracellular polysaccharides,
biosynthesis Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-Catalysis, catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthe ...
,
bacteriocin Bacteriocins are proteinaceous or peptide, peptidic toxins produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth of similar or closely related bacterial strain(s). They are similar to yeast and paramecium killing factors, and are structurally, functionally ...
production, pili production, the CRISPR-Cas system, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (
CRISPR CRISPR (; acronym of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea. Each sequence within an individual prokaryotic CRISPR is d ...
) loci, and more than 100 transporter functions and mobile genetic elements such as
phages A bacteriophage (), also known informally as a phage (), is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. The term is derived . Bacteriophages are composed of proteins that encapsulate a DNA or RNA genome, and may have structures tha ...
,
plasmid A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria and ...
genes, and
transposon A transposable element (TE), also transposon, or jumping gene, is a type of mobile genetic element, a nucleic acid sequence in DNA that can change its position within a genome. The discovery of mobile genetic elements earned Barbara McClinto ...
s. The genome of the specific strain ''L. rhamnosus'' LRB, in this case, taken from a human baby tooth, consists of a circular chromosome of 2,934,954 bp with 46.78% GC content. This genome contains 2,749 total genes with 2,672 that are total protein-coding sequences. This sample did not contain any plasmids. The most extensively studied strain, ''L. rhamnosus'' GG, a gut isolate, consists of a genome of 3,010,111 bp. Therefore, the LRB genome is shorter than GG’s genome. LRB lacks the spaCBA gene cluster of GG and is not expected to produce functional pili (6). This difference may help explain why each strain lives in a different habitat.


''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG'' (ATCC 53103)

''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' GG (ATCC 53103) is a strain of ''L. rhamnosus'' that was isolated in 1983 from the intestinal tract of a healthy human being; filed for a patent on 17 April 1985, by Sherwood Gorbach and Barry Goldin, the 'GG' derives from the first letters of their surnames. The patent refers to a strain of "''L. acidophilus'' GG" with
American Type Culture Collection ATCC or the American Type Culture Collection is a nonprofit organization which collects, stores, and distributes standard reference microorganisms, cell lines and other materials for research and development. Established in 1925 to serve as a nati ...
(ATCC) accession number 53103; later reclassified as a strain of ''L. rhamnosus''. The patent claims the ''L. rhamnosus'' GG (ATCC 53103) strain is acid- and bile-stable, has a great
avidity In biochemistry, avidity refers to the accumulated strength of ''multiple'' affinities of individual non-covalent binding interactions, such as between a protein receptor and its ligand, and is commonly referred to as functional affinity. Avidity ...
for human intestinal mucosal cells, and produces
lactic acid Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has the molecular formula C3H6O3. It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as wel ...
. Since the discovery of the ''L. rhamnosus'' GG (ATCC 53103) strain, it has been studied extensively on its various health benefits and currently ''L. rhamnosus'' GG (ATCC 53103) strain is the world's most studied probiotic bacterium with more than 800 scientific studies. The genome sequence of ''Lactobacillus rhamnosus'' GG (ATCC 53103) has been decoded in 2009.


History

In 1983, ''L. rhamnosus'' GG was isolated from the intestinal tract of a healthy human by Sherwood Gorbach and Barry Goldin.


Medical research and use

While ''L. rhamnosus'' GG (ATCC 53103) is able to survive the acid and bile of the stomach and intestine, is claimed to colonize the digestive tract, and to balance intestinal microbiota, evidence suggests that ''L. rhamnosus'', comparable to virtually all probiotic lactobacilli, is only a transient inhabitant and not
autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Nature * Autochthon (geology), a sediment or rock that can be found at its site of formation or deposition * Autochthon (nature), or landrace, an indigenous animal or plant * Autochthonou ...
. ''Lactobacillus rhamnosus'' GG binds to the gut mucosa. These features make it a favorable organism for the investigation of probiotic supplementation as a potential treatment for a variety of disease states.


Diarrhea

''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' GG is beneficial in the prevention of
rotavirus Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhea, diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotavirus at least once by the age of five. Immunity (medical), Immunity develops with ...
diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...
in children. Prevention and treatment of various types of
diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...
have been shown in children and in adults. ''L. rhamnosus'' GG can be beneficial in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and nosocomial diarrhea and this has been recently supported by European guidelines. ''Lactobacillus rhamnosus'' GG may reduce the risk of traveler's diarrhea.


Acute gastroenteritis

A position paper published by ESPGHAN Working Group for Probiotics and Prebiotics based on a systematic review and
randomized controlled trials A randomized controlled trial (or randomized control trial; RCT) is a form of scientific experiment used to control factors not under direct experimental control. Examples of RCTs are clinical trials that compare the effects of drugs, surgical ...
(RCTs) suggested that ''L. rhamnosus'' GG (low quality of evidence, strong recommendation) may be considered in the management of children with acute
gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of ...
in addition to rehydration therapy.


Atopic dermatitis, eczema

''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' GG is ineffective for treating eczema. However in one non-randomized clinical observation dealing with resistant childhood atopic eczema, a substantial improvement in quality of life was reported in pediatric patients given Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus rhamnosus as a supplement.


Risks

The use of ''L. rhamnosus'' GG for
probiotic Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the microbiota in the gut. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria– host interactions ...
therapy has been linked with rare cases of
sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...
in certain risk groups, primarily those with a
weakened immune system Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromise, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that affec ...
and infants. Ingestion of GG is considered to be safe and data show a significant growth in the consumption of ''L. rhamnosus'' GG at the population level did not lead to an increase in ''Lactobacillus''
bacteraemia Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are infections of blood caused by blood-borne pathogens. The detection of microbes in the blood (most commonly accomplished by blood cultures) is always abnormal. A bloodstream infection is different from sepsis, w ...
cases.


''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' GR-1

''Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus'' GR-1 was originally found in the urethra of a healthy female and is nowadays a model strain for vaginal probiotics. A genome comparison between ''L. rhamnosus'' GG and ''L. rhamnosus'' GR-1 shows that GR-1 lacks ''spaCBA''-encoded pili, an important adhesin in ''L. rhamnosus'' GG for adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells. In contrast, ''L. rhamnosus'' GR-1 utilises
lectin Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar Moiety (chemistry), groups that are part of other molecules, so cause agglutination (biology), agglutination of particular cells or precipitation of glycoconjugates an ...
-like proteins to attach to carbohydrates on the surface of the target cell. Lectin-like proteins preferentially bind to nonkeratinized stratified squamous cells which are found in the urethra and vagina. The lectin-like protein 1 purified from ''L. rhamnosus'' GR-1 is found to prevent infection by the uropathogenic ''E. coli'' UTI89 by inhibiting its adhesion to epithelial cells and by disrupting its
biofilm A biofilm is a Syntrophy, syntrophic Microbial consortium, community of microorganisms in which cell (biology), cells cell adhesion, stick to each other and often also to a surface. These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy ext ...
formation. Additionally, it can increase biofilm formation in other beneficial lactobacilli that inhabit the vagina.


References


Further reading


External links


Type strain of ''Lactobacillus rhamnosus'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
{{Authority control Digestive system Probiotics Lactobacillaceae Bacteria described in 1989 Pathogenic bacteria