Glutamate Decarboxylase from Lactic Acid Bacteria-A Key Enzyme in GABA Synthesis

Ida Bagus Agung Yogeswara; Suppasil Maneerat; Dietmar Haltrich

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8121923

Glutamate Decarboxylase from Lactic Acid Bacteria-A Key Enzyme in GABA Synthesis

Microorganisms. 2020 Dec 3;8(12):1923. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8121923.

Authors

Ida Bagus Agung Yogeswara^{1

2}, Suppasil Maneerat³, Dietmar Haltrich¹

Affiliations

¹ Food Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences BOKU, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria.
² Nutrition Department, Faculty of Health, Science and Technology, Universitas Dhyana Pura, Dalung Kuta utara 80361, Bali, Indonesia.
³ Faculty of Agro-Industry, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand.

Abstract

Glutamate decarboxylase (l-glutamate-1-carboxylase, GAD; EC 4.1.1.15) is a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the irreversible α-decarboxylation of l-glutamic acid to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and CO₂. The enzyme is widely distributed in eukaryotes as well as prokaryotes, where it-together with its reaction product GABA-fulfils very different physiological functions. The occurrence of gad genes encoding GAD has been shown for many microorganisms, and GABA-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been a focus of research during recent years. A wide range of traditional foods produced by fermentation based on LAB offer the potential of providing new functional food products enriched with GABA that may offer certain health-benefits. Different GAD enzymes and genes from several strains of LAB have been isolated and characterized recently. GABA-producing LAB, the biochemical properties of their GAD enzymes, and possible applications are reviewed here.

Keywords: fermented foods; gad genes; glutamate decarboxylase; lactic acid bacteria; γ-aminobutyric acid production.

Publication types

Review