Team:Concordia/FoodIntolerance

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  • Lactococcus Lactis
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Application of Scaffold: Food Intolerances

A food intolerance is the inability to metabolize certain components of a food properly leading to adverse reactions/symptoms. Two examples of such food intolerances are lactose intolerance and congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency.

Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency in the body’s production of the enzyme lactase which is responsible for breaking down the disaccharide lactose into its monosaccharide components, glucose and galactose. This deficiency is caused by a reduction in expression of the LCT gene in adulthood. Lactose-intolerant people are unable to eat milk and dairy products without experiencing adverse reactions as these foods are abundant in lactose. If not sufficiently digested by lactase in the small intestine, lactose travels to the large intestine where it is fermented by gut bacteria which causes symptoms such as flatulence, nausea, bloating and abdominal pain. Lactose intolerance affects nearly 65% of the world’s population, though most sufferers’ ability to digest lactose is not completely hampered, only reduced.

On the other hand, congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency is caused by an inability of the body to produce the enzyme sucrase-isomaltase. This enzyme is responsible for breaking down the sugars sucrose (found in fruits) and maltose (found in grains). 1 in 5000 people of European descent are affected by this food intolerance but it is even more common in native populations of Greenland, Alaska and Canada where 1 in 20 are affected. When a person deficient in sucrase-isomaltase consumes aliments containing sucrose or maltose, they experience similar symptoms as lactose-intolerance sufferers such as stomach cramps, bloating, excess gas production, and diarrhea.

Our Solution

As a proof of concept of our scaffold, we will be fusing the enzyme β-galactosidase (LacZ) and sucrase (SacC) to their respective dockerins which will then be able to bind to the complementary cohesin domains on our scaffold. LacZ and SacC break down lactose and sucrose, respectively, into their simple sugar components. The enzyme-bearing scaffolds being anchored to the cell wall of L. lactis could then, theoretically, be introduced to the microbiome of a person that is deficient in either enzyme to ameliorate the individual’s food intolerance.