Identification of a novel cobamide remodeling enzyme in the beneficial human gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila

Abstract

The beneficial human gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila provides metabolites to other members of the gut microbiota by breaking down host mucin, but most of its other metabolic functions have not been investigated. A. muciniphila is known to use cobamides, the vitamin B12 family of cofactors with structural diversity in the lower ligand, though the specific cobamides it can use have not been examined. We found that growth of A. muciniphila strain MucT was nearly identical with each of seven cobamides tested, in contrast to nearly all bacteria that have been studied. Unexpectedly, this promiscuity is due to cobamide remodeling - the removal and replacement of the lower ligand - despite the absence of the canonical remodeling enzyme CbiZ in A. muciniphila. We identified a novel enzyme, CbiR, that is capable of initiating the remodeling process by hydrolyzing the phosphoribosyl bond in the nucleotide loop of cobamides. CbiR does not share homology with other cobamide remodeling enzymes or B12-binding domains, and instead is a member of the AP endonuclease 2 enzyme superfamily. We speculate that CbiR enables bacteria to repurpose cobamides they otherwise cannot use in order to grow under a cobamide-requiring condition; this function was confirmed by heterologous expression of cbiR in E. coli. Homologs of CbiR are found in over 200 microbial taxa across 22 phyla, suggesting that many bacteria may use CbiR to gain access to the diverse cobamides present in their environment. ImportanceCobamides, the vitamin B12 family of cobalt-containing cofactors, are required for metabolism in all domains of life, including most bacteria. Cobamides have structural variability in the lower ligand, and selectivity for particular cobamides has been observed in most organisms studied to date. Here, we discover that the beneficial human gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila can use a diverse range of cobamides due to its ability to change the cobamide structure via "cobamide remodeling". We identify and characterize the novel enzyme CbiR that is necessary for initiating the cobamide remodeling process. The discovery of this enzyme has implications not only for understanding the ecological role of A. muciniphila in the gut, but for other bacteria that carry this enzyme as well.