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D’Aimmo et al. Microbiome Res Rep 2024;3:11 Microbiome Research
DOI: 10.20517/mrr.2023.59
Reports

Review Open Access

Folate-producing bifidobacteria: metabolism,
genetics, and relevance

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Maria Rosaria D’Aimmo , Maria Satti , Donatella Scarafile , Monica Modesto , Stefano Pascarelli , Simone
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Andrea Biagini , Donata Luiselli , Paola Mattarelli 2 , Thomas Andlid 6
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BioGaia AB, Bioventure Hub, HE424, c/o AstraZeneca AB, R&D, Mölndal 43150, Sweden.
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Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna 40127, Italy.
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Protein Engineering and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science, Technology Graduate University, Okinawa 40-0193,
Japan.
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Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de
Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
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Department for the Cultural Heritage (DBC), University of Bologna, Ravenna 48121, Italy.
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Andlid Bio Solutions AB, Gothenburg 41871, Sweden.
Correspondence to: Dr. Monica Modesto, Prof. Paola Mattarelli, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of
Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, Bologna 40127, Italy. E-mail: monica.modesto@unibo.it; paola.mattarelli@unibo.it
How to cite this article: D’Aimmo MR, Satti M, Scarafile D, Modesto M, Pascarelli S, Biagini SA, Luiselli D, Mattarelli P, Andlid T.
Folate-producing bifidobacteria: metabolism, genetics, and relevance. Microbiome Res Rep 2024;3:11. https://dx.doi.org/10.
20517/mrr.2023.59
Received: 8 Oct 2023 First Decision: 3 Nov 2023 Revised: 11 Nov 2023 Accepted: 29 Nov 2023 Published: 12 Dec 2023
Academic Editors: Christian Milani, Marco Ventura, Emma Allen-Vercoe Copy Editor: Dong-Li Li Production Editor: Dong-Li Li
Abstract
Folate (the general term for all bioactive forms of vitamin B ) plays a crucial role in the evolutionary highly
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conserved one-carbon (1C) metabolism, a network including central reactions such as DNA and protein synthesis
and methylation of macromolecules. Folate delivers 1C units, such as methyl and formyl, between reactants. Plants,
algae, fungi, and many bacteria can naturally produce folate, whereas animals, including humans, must obtain
folate from external sources. For humans, folate deficiency is, however, a widespread problem. Bifidobacteria
constitute an important component of human and many animal microbiomes, providing various health advantages
to the host, such as producing folate. This review focuses on bifidobacteria and folate metabolism and the current
knowledge of the distribution of genes needed for complete folate biosynthesis across different bifidobacterial
species. Biotechnologies based on folate-trophic probiotics aim to create fermented products enriched with folate
or design probiotic supplements that can synthesize folate in the colon, improving overall health. Therefore,
bifidobacteria (alone or in association with other microorganisms) may, in the future, contribute to reducing
widespread folate deficiencies prevalent among vulnerable human population groups, such as older people, women
at child-birth age, and people in low-income countries.

Keywords: Bifidobacteria, folate metabolism, folate biofortification, gut microbiota

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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