PONE-D-24-42392Genomic Insights into the Probiotic Potential and Genes Linked to Gallic Acid Metabolism in Pediococcus pentosaceus MBBL6 Isolated from Healthy Cow MilkPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Hoque,

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PLOS ONE

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Reviewers' comments:

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Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: N/A

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: I commend the comprehensive investigation of P.pentosaceus MBBL6 and its potential as a probiotic. Your findings are outstanding. The paper is well-structured, with a logical flow that guides the reader through the research objectives, methodology, and findings.

Reviewer #2: The manuscript demonstrates a whole genome analysis of P. pentosaceus MBBL6 (isolated from healthy cow's milk) to study its probiotic potential. The study presented is a comprehensive one that shows the involved metabolic pathways, carbohydrate-active enzymes, bacteriocin gene clusters, and secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. The manuscript could do a better job of describing the strain-specific genes (and associated pathways) to emphasize the significance of MBBL6, based on comparison with closely related genomes. Next, the manuscript could also discuss how the results compare with other strains (for example, Kompramool S., et al, 2024) that have also demonstrated antimicrobial activity. I recommend that the manuscript be published once these abovementioned have been addressed. Overall, the distinct or unique molecular functions of the strain based on a comparative analysis could be discussed further.

Reviewer #3: 1). What are the main reasons for selecting Pediococcus pentosaceus MBBL6 isolated from healthy cow milk at BSMRAU dairy farm, Gazipur, Bangladesh, as the study subject?

2). What are the main objectives of the comprehensive genomic analysis of P. pentosaceus MBBL6 in this study?

3). What methods were used in this study to evaluate the probiotic and antimicrobial potential of P. pentosaceus MBBL6, both in-vitro and in-vivo?

4). What are the main findings related to genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and vitamin B complex biosynthesis in the genome of P. pentosaceus MBBL6?

5). How do the results of in-vivo tests in a mouse mastitis model support the therapeutic potential of P. pentosaceus MBBL6 in overcoming mastitis pathogens?

6). What are the main conclusions that can be drawn from the genomic analysis of P. pentosaceus MBBL6 related to its applications in therapy, bioremediation, and biopreservation?

7). Use a minimum of the last 5 years of literature, especially research articles.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: No

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Genomic Insights into the Probiotic Potential and Genes Linked to Gallic Acid Metabolism in Pediococcus pentosaceus MBBL6 Isolated from Healthy Cow Milk

PONE-D-24-42392R1

Dear Dr. Hoque,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Edwin Hlangwani

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments: