Cobalamin production by Lactobacillus coryniformis: biochemical identification of the synthetized corrinoid and genomic analysis of the biosynthetic cluster

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that most vitamins are present in a variety of foods, malnutrition, unbalanced diets or insufficient intake of foods are still the cause of vitamin deficiencies in humans in some countries. Vitamin B(12) (Cobalamin) is a complex compound that is only naturally produced by bacteria and archea. It has been reported that certain strains belonging to lactic acid bacteria group are capable of synthesized water-soluble vitamins such as those included in the B-group, as vitamin B(12). In this context, the goal of the present paper was to evaluate and characterize the production of vitamin B(12) in Lactobacillus coryniformis CRL 1001, a heterofermentative strain isolated from silage. RESULTS: Cell extract of L. coryniformis CRL 1001, isolated from silage, is able to correct the coenzyme B(12) requirement of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium AR 2680 in minimal medium. The chemical characterization of the corrinoid-like molecule isolated from CRL 1001 cell extract using HPLC and mass spectrometry is reported. The majority of the corrinoid produced by this strain has adenine like Coα-ligand instead 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole. Genomic studies revealed the presence of the complete machinery of the anaerobic biosynthesis pathway of coenzyme B(12). The detected genes encode all proteins for the corrin ring biosynthesis and for the binding of upper (β) and lower (α) ligands in one continuous stretch of the chromosome. CONCLUSIONS: The results here described show for the first time that L. coryniformis subsp. coryniformis CRL 1001 is able to produce pseudocobalamin containing adenine instead of 5,6-dimethlbenzimidazole in the Coα-ligand. Genomic analysis allowed the identification and characterization of the complete de novo biosynthetic pathway of the corrinoid produced by the CRL 1001 strain.