title: Isolation of a rat intestinal Clostridium strain producing 5 alpha- and 5 beta-bile salt 3 alpha-sulfatase activity.
abstract: An unnamed sporeforming microorganism, termed Clostridium sp. strain S2, possessing bile salt sulfatase activity was isolated from rat intestinal microflora. The microorganism was a strictly anaerobic, nonmotile, gram-negative, asaccharolytic, sporeforming rod requiring CO2, vitamin K, and taurine; the guanine-plus-cytosine content of the DNA was 40.8 mol% (Tm), and the strain was tentatively classified as an atypical Clostridium species. Sulfatase activity was specific for 3 alpha-sulfate esters of 5 alpha- and 5 beta-bile salts, leaving the 3 beta-, 7 alpha-, and 12 alpha-sulfates unchanged. Strain S2 also deconjugated tauro- and glyco-conjugated bile salts and partially reduced into the corresponding 6 alpha-hydroxy bile salts. By these reactions, alpha-muricholate and beta-muricholate were more than 80% converted into hyocholate and omega-muricholate, respectively. In addition, strain S2 produced 12 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase converting deoxycholate into 3 alpha-hydroxy-12-oxo-5 beta-cholanoate. When strain S2 was associated with gnotobiotic rats, the fecal bile salts were more than 90% desulfated and the fecal excretion of allochenodeoxycholate was five times lower than in control rats.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000378:metabolism; D001711:Biotransformation; D003013:Clostridium / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D051381:Rats / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013429:Sulfatases / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D013429:Sulfatases; C033345:bile salt sulfatase