Polysaccharide utilization locus and CAZYme genome repertoires reveal diverse ecological adaptation of Prevotella species.

The results of metagenomic studies have clearly established that bacteria of the genus Prevotella represent one of the important groups found in the oral cavity and large intestine of man, and they also dominate the rumen. They belong to the Bacteroidetes, a phylum well-known for its polysaccharide degrading potential that stems from the outer membrane-localized enzyme/binding protein complexes encoded in polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs). Dozens of Prevotella species have been described, primarily from the oral cavity, and many of them occur simultaneously at the same sites, but research on their ecological adaptation has been neglected. Therefore, in this study, the repertoires of PULs and carbohydrate acting enzymes (CAZYmes) found in Prevotella genomes were analyzed and it was concluded that the Prevotella species were widely heterogeneous in this respect and displayed several distinct adaptations with regard to the number, source and nature of the substrates apparently preferred for growth.