The Tolerance of Gut Commensal to Oxidative Stress Is Strain Dependent and Relies on Detoxifying Enzymes.

Obligate anaerobic bacteria in genus are among the most dominant taxa in the colon of healthy individuals and contribute to intestinal homeostasis. A decline in the abundance of this genus is associated with the occurrence of various gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases. In the colon, these diseases are accompanied by an imbalance between the generation and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and oxidative stress is closely linked to disruptions in anaerobiosis. In this work, we explored the impact of oxidative stress on several strains of faecalibacteria. An analysis of complete genomes of faecalibacteria revealed the presence of genes encoding O- and/or ROS-detoxifying enzymes, including flavodiiron proteins, rubrerythrins, reverse rubrerythrins, superoxide reductases, and alkyl peroxidase. However, the presence and the number of these detoxification systems varied greatly among faecalibacteria. These results were confirmed by O stress survival tests, in which we found that strains differed widely in their sensitivity. We showed the protective role of cysteine, which limited the production of extracellular O and improved the survival of Faecalibacterium longum L2-6 under high O tension. In the strain L2-6, we observed that the expression of genes encoding detoxifying enzymes was upregulated in the response to O or HO stress but with different patterns of regulation. Based on these results, we propose a first model of the gene regulatory network involved in the response to oxidative stress in L2-6. Commensal bacteria in the genus have been proposed for use as next-generation probiotics, but efforts to cultivate and exploit the potential of these strains have been limited by their sensitivity to O. More broadly, little is known about how commensal and health-associated bacterial species in the human microbiome respond to the oxidative stress that occurs as a result of inflammation in the colon. In this work, we provide insights regarding the genes that encode potential mechanisms of protection against O or ROS stress in faecalibacteria, which may facilitate future advances in work with these important bacteria.