Bile-inducible efflux transporter from Bifidobacterium longum NCC2705, conferring bile resistance.

Bifidobacteria are normal inhabitants of the human gut. Some strains of this genus are considered health promoting or probiotic, being included in numerous food products. In order to exert their health benefits, these bacteria must overcome biological barriers, including bile salts, to colonize and survive in specific parts of the intestinal tract. The role of multidrug resistance (MDR) transporters in bile resistance of probiotic bacteria and the effect of bile on probiotic gene expression are not fully understood. In the present study, the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of bile on the expression levels of predicted MDR genes from three different bifidobacterial strains, belonging to Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, was tested. In this way, two putative MDR genes whose expression was induced by bile, BL0920 from B. longum and its homolog, Bbr0838, from B. breve, were identified. The expression of the BL0920 gene in Escherichia coli was shown to confer resistance to bile, likely to be mediated by active efflux from the cells. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first identified bifidobacterial bile efflux pump whose expression is induced by bile.