A novel enzyme with antioxidant capacity produced by the ubiquitous skin colonizer Propionibacterium acnes.
The role of the skin microbiota in human health is poorly understood. Here, we identified and characterized a novel antioxidant enzyme produced by the skin microbiota, designated RoxP for radical oxygenase of Propionibacterium acnes. RoxP is uniquely produced by the predominant skin bacterium P. acnes, with no homologs in other bacteria; it is highly expressed and strongly secreted into culture supernatants. We show that RoxP binds heme, reduces free radicals, and can protect molecules from oxidation. Strikingly, RoxP is crucial for the survival of P. acnes in oxic conditions and for skin colonization of P. acnes ex vivo. Taken together, our study strongly suggests that RoxP facilitates P. acnes' survival on human skin, and is an important beneficial factor for the host-commensal interaction. Thus, RoxP is the first described skin microbiota-derived mutualistic factor that potentially can be exploited for human skin protection.
Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Infection Medicine, Biomedical Center B14, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Maria
M
Allhorn
Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Infection Medicine, Biomedical Center B14, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Sabine
S
Arve
Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Holger
H
Brüggemann
Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Infection Medicine, Biomedical Center B14, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Rolf
R
Lood
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D064307:Microbiota; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011425:Propionibacterium acnes / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*
D000975:Antioxidants; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D006418:Heme; D010105:Oxygenases