Evolution of milk oligosaccharides: Origin and selectivity of the ratio of milk oligosaccharides to lactose among mammals

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects Vol. 1866; no. 1; p. 130012
• Main Authors: Urashima, Tadasu, Katayama, Takane, Sakanaka, Mikiyasu, Fukuda, Kenji, Messer, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.01.2022
• Subjects: absorption; Animals; Animals, Suckling - metabolism; beta-galactosidase; bifidobacteria; Biological Evolution; biosynthesis; digestion; endocytosis; energy; eutherians; evolution; Evolution, Molecular; galactose; Galactose - metabolism; Galactosyltransferases - metabolism; glucose; Glucose - metabolism; glycosyltransferases; human milk oligosaccharides; intestines; Lactalbumin - metabolism; lactose; Lactose - genetics; Lactose - metabolism; lysozyme; mammals; Mammals - metabolism; marsupials; microvilli; milk; Milk - chemistry; Milk - metabolism; milk oligosaccharides; monotremes; Oligosaccharides - genetics; Oligosaccharides - metabolism; substrate specificity; α-lactalbumin; human milk oligosaccharides; bifidobacteria; α-lactalbumin; marsupials; monotremes; milk oligosaccharides; evolution; eutherians

The carbohydrate fraction of mammalian milk is constituted of lactose and oligosaccharides, most of which contain a lactose unit at their reducing ends. Although lactose is the predominant saccharide in the milk of most eutherians, oligosaccharides significantly predominate over lactose in the milk...