The University of Lethbridge says “It turns out that eating fermented
food and drink, including beer, for the past 7,000 years has led to the evolution
of bacteria that may hold the key to strengthening the immune system in both
humans and livestock.
“A team of international researchers, led by Harry Gilbert of Newcastle
University, Eric Martens of the University of Michigan, and University of
Lethbridge adjunct professor Wade Abbott of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(AAFC), has discovered that certain strains of bacteria in the human gut –
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Bt) – have developed a taste for yeast.,” says
the university.
The researchers say that the discovery of Bt’s ability to break down
complex carbohydrates could accelerate the development of prebiotic medicines
to help humans suffering from bowel problems and autoimmune diseases and
potentially improve animal health and production.
A prebiotic is a nutrient that feeds beneficial bacteria and is
typically a carbohydrate that we cannot metabolize.
The ability of these microbes to degrade the almost impenetrable wall of
complex carbohydrates surrounding yeast cells, known as mannan, is significant,
they say.
“Conversion of indigestible carbohydrates, such as yeast mannan, into
beneficial molecules for their host has been associated with combating
intestinal diseases, promoting correct immune responses and helping to maintain
healthy tissues,” says Abbott, who teaches chemistry and biochemistry at the University
of Lethbridge.
By identifying the complex machinery that targets yeast carbohydrates,
researchers now have a better understanding of how our intestinal tract can
obtain nutrients from our diet.
For humans, this discovery could mean the development of new prebiotic
medicines and treatments against yeast infections and bowel diseases such as
Crohn’s.
“People are very interested in developing dietary regimes where good
bacteria are of benefit,” says Gilbert, in a Newcastle University news release.
“When you have certain bacteria dominant in the gut, these
microorganisms can produce molecules which have health promoting effects.”
Understanding the role of intestinal bacteria in livestock could result
in next-generation innovations – such as alternatives to antibiotic growth
promoters – potentially improving animal health and production, and thus
positively impacting the safety, sustainability and profitability of Canada’s
agricultural sector, says an AAFC release.
The study also involved University of Lethbridge master's student
Richard McLean, who was given the opportunity to work on the project as an
undergraduate student while taking an Applied Studies course with Abbott.
“We needed to crystalize an enzyme in order to solve its structure,”
says Abbott of McLean’s research focus.
“Three other researchers had been working previously at trying to
crystalize this protein, including myself, and for some reason, he had the
knack and was able to pull it off and we were subsequently able to get a
structure out of it.”
The entire research team contributing to the study represents the
following institutions: Newcastle University (UK); University of Georgia;
University of Lethbridge; University of Michigan; University of York;
University of Melbourne; University of Kansas; Oxyrane (Belgium); University of
Victoria; United States Department of Agriculture; and Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada.
