Genes Involved in Galactooligosaccharide Metabolism in Lactobacillus reuteri and Their Ecological Role in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

Strains of are commonly used as probiotics due to their demonstrated therapeutic properties. Many strains of also utilize the prebiotic galactooligosaccharide (GOS), providing a basis for formulating synergistic synbiotics that could enhance growth or persistence of this organism In this study, in-frame deletion mutants were constructed to characterize the molecular basis of GOS utilization in ATCC PTA-6475. Results suggested that GOS transport relies on a permease encoded by , while a second unidentified protein may function as a galactoside transporter.