title: Akkermansia muciniphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a human intestinal mucin-degrading bacterium.
abstract: The diversity of mucin-degrading bacteria in the human intestine was investigated by combining culture and 16S rRNA-dependent approaches. A dominant bacterium, strain MucT, was isolated by dilution to extinction of faeces in anaerobic medium containing gastric mucin as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. A pure culture was obtained using the anaerobic soft agar technique. Strain MucT was a Gram-negative, strictly anaerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, oval-shaped bacterium that could grow singly and in pairs. When grown on mucin medium, cells produced a capsule and were found to aggregate. Strain MucT could grow on a limited number of sugars, including N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and glucose, but only when a protein source was provided and with a lower growth rate and final density than on mucin. The G + C content of DNA from strain MucT was 47.6 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate was part of the division Verrucomicrobia. The closest described relative of strain MucT was Verrucomicrobium spinosum (92 % sequence similarity). Remarkably, the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain MucT showed 99 % similarity to three uncultured colonic bacteria. According to the data obtained in this work, strain MucT represents a novel bacterium belonging to a new genus in subdivision 1 of the Verrucomicrobia; the name Akkermansia muciniphila gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is MucT (= ATCC BAA-835T = CIP 107961T).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Hesselink van Suchtelenweg 4, 6703 CT Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Derrien
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Hesselink van Suchtelenweg 4, 6703 CT Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elaine E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Hesselink van Suchtelenweg 4, 6703 CT Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Plugge
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Hesselink van Suchtelenweg 4, 6703 CT Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Willem M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: de Vos
mesh_terms: D000116:Acetylgalactosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001482:Base Composition; D002244:Carbon; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005752:Gastric Mucins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020459:Genes, rRNA / Q000235:genetics; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006089:Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009068:Movement; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D005752:Gastric Mucins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D002244:Carbon; D005947:Glucose; D000116:Acetylgalactosamine; D009584:Nitrogen; D000117:Acetylglucosamine