BoGH13ASus from Bacteroides ovatus represents a novel α-amylase used for  Bacteroides starch breakdown in the human gut

Members of the Bacteroidetes phylum in the human colon deploy an extensive number of proteins to capture and degrade polysaccharides. Operons devoted to glycan breakdown and uptake are termed polysaccharide utilization loci or PUL. The starch utilization system (Sus) is one such PUL and was initially described in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Bt). BtSus is highly conserved across many species, except for its extracellular α-amylase, SusG. In this work, we show that the Bacteroides ovatus (Bo) extracellular α-amylase, BoGH13A_Sus, is distinguished from SusG in its evolutionary origin and its domain architecture and by being the most prevalent form in Bacteroidetes Sus. BoGH13A_Sus is the founding member of both a novel subfamily in the glycoside hydrolase family 13, GH13_47, and a novel carbohydrate-binding module, CBM98. The BoGH13A_Sus CBM98-CBM48-GH13_47 architecture differs from the CBM58 embedded within the GH13_36 of SusG. These domains adopt a distinct spatial orientation and invoke a different association with the outer membrane. The BoCBM98 binding site is required for Bo growth on polysaccharides and optimal enzymatic degradation thereof. Finally, the BoGH13A_Sus structure features bound Ca²⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions, the latter of which is novel for an α-amylase. Little is known about the impact of Mn²⁺ on gut bacterial function, much less on polysaccharide consumption, but Mn²⁺ addition to Bt expressing BoGH13A_Sus specifically enhances growth on starch. Further understanding of bacterial starch degradation signatures will enable more tailored prebiotic and pharmaceutical approaches that increase starch flux to the gut.