Expression profiling of Cellvibrio japonicus using plant mannans

Plant mannans are a component of lignocellulose that may possess diverse compositions changing both in terms of its backbone and side-chain substitutions. Consequently, the degradation of mannan substrates requires a cadre of enzymes for complete reduction to substituent monosaccharides, specifically mannose, galactose, and/or glucose. One bacterium that possesses this suite of enzymes is the Gram-negative saprophyte Cellvibrio japonicus, which has ten predicted mannanases from the Glycoside Hydrolase (GH) families 5, 26, and 27. Here we describe a systems biology approach to identify and characterize the essential components of the mannan degradation apparatus in this bacterium. Transcriptomic analysis uncovered significant changes in gene expression for most mannanases, as well as many genes that encode Carbohydrate Active Enzymes (CAZymes) when mannan substrates were actively being degraded. A comprehensive mutational analysis characterized 54 CAZyme genes in the context of mannan utilization. Growth analysis of the mutant strains indicated that the man26C, aga27A, and man5D genes, which encode a mannobiohydrolase, a- galactosidase, and mannosidase, respectively, were influential to the deconstruction of galactomannan. Furthermore, our updated model of mannan degradation in C. japonicus proposes that the removal of galactose sidechains from substituted mannans constitutes a crucial step for the efficient and complete degradation of this hemicellulose by bacteria. Overall design: One carbon condition (glucomannan); Two sample points (exponential phase, stationary phase); Data collected in biological triplicate; Total of 6 samples; Data from GSE90955 (glucose) was used in data analysis