Microbial ACBP/DBI-like genes are rare in the human gut microbiome and show no links with obesity

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2021 Apr 9:AEM.00471-21. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00471-21. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTAcyl coenzyme A (CoA) binding protein (ACBP), also called diazepam-binding inhibitor (DBI) is a phylogenetically conserved protein that is expressed by all eukaryotic species as well as by some bacteria. Since elevated ACBP/DBI levels play a major role in the inhibition of autophagy, increase in appetite and lipoanabolism that accompany obesity, we wondered whether ACBP/DBI produced by the human microbiome might affect host weight. We found that the genomes of bacterial commensals rarely contain ACBP/DBI homologues, which are rather encoded by genomes of some pathogenic or environmental taxa that were not prevalent in human feces. Exhaustive bioinformatic analyses of 1,899 gut samples from healthy individuals refuted the hypothesis that bacterial ACBP/DBI might affect the BMI in a physiological context. Thus, the physiological regulation of BMI is unlikely to be affected by microbial ACBP/DBI-like proteins. However, at the speculative level, it remains possible that ACBP/DBI produced by potential pathogenic bacteria might enhance their virulence by inhibiting autophagy and hence subverting innate immune responses.ImportanceAcyl coenzyme A (CoA) binding protein (ACBP) can be encoded by several organisms across the domains of life, including microbes, and has shown to play major roles in human metabolic processes. However, little is known about its presence in the human gut...
Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Source Type: research