Ab Initio Whole Cell Kinetic Model of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM (lacAS24)

Citation: Senthilkumar, A, Arivazhagan, M, Yeo, KY, Saisudhanbabu, T, Le, MA, Wong, TBS, Lukianto, VR, Ling, MHT. 2025. Ab Initio Whole Cell Kinetic Model of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM (lacAS24). Journal of Clinical Immunology & Microbiology 6(1):1-5.

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Lactobacillus acidophilus is a commonly used probiotic that offers numerous health benefits in the human gut, particularly in addressing various disorders. L. acidophilus NCFM, a specific and well-characterized strain, has been classified by the US FDA as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) for inclusion in dairy fermentation and probiotic formulations, highlighting its potential for engineered probiotic applications. Mathematical kinetic models allow for the development of time-course profiles for the metabolites produced by these bacteria, which can be used in future metabolic engineering or synthetic biology projects but a whole cell kinetic model L. acidophilus NCFM has not yet been established. In this study, a whole-cell simulatable model of L. acidophilus NCFM (lacAS24) was developed using an ab initio approach, identifying enzymes based on its published genome. The resulting model encompasses 580 metabolites, 231 enzymes with 581 enzymatic reactions. This preliminary model provides a basis for further incorporating additional cellular functions or novel growth mechanisms supporting future advances in biotechnology.