Isolation of a bacterial mixture capable of utilizing C-mannosyl tryptophan as the sole carbon source

C-Mannosylation, a protein-modification found in various eukaryotes, involves the attachment of a single mannose molecule to selected tryptophan residues of proteins. We aim to isolate a mixed bacterial culture from soil that degrades CMW. The bacteria grew in minimal medium with CMW as the sole carbon source. Interestingly, after isolation of single colonies from CMW-agar plates, several bacterial species were still observed in colony isolates, as evidenced by a 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. A next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was therefore carried out in order to determine which of the species was responsible for the catabolism of CMW.