Gut microbiota adaptation to high altitude in indigenous animals

Indigenous animals show unique gut microbiota (GM) in the Tibetan plateau. However, it is unknown whether the hypertensive indigenous people in plateau also have the distinct gut bacteria, different from those living in plains. We sequenced the V3-V4 region of the gut bacteria 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of feces samples among hypertensive patients (HPs) and healthy individuals (HIs) from 3 distinct altitudes: Tibetans from high altitude (3600–4500 m, n = 38 and 34), Hans from middle altitude (2260 m, n = 49 and 35), and Hans from low altitude (13 m, n = 34 and 35) and then analyzed the GM composition among hypertensive and healthy subgroups using the bioinformatics analysis, respectively. The GM of high-altitude Tibetan and middle-altitude Han HPs presented greater α- and β-diversities, lower ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B), and higher abundance of beneficial Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia than the low-altitudes HPs did. The GM of high-altitude Tibetan and middle-altitude HIs showed greater α-diversity and lower ratio of F/B than the low-altitudes HIs did. But, β-diversity and abundance of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia among different subgroups of HIs did not show any differences. Conclusively, the high-altitude Tibetan and middle-altitude Han HPs have a distinct feature of GM, which may be important in their adaptation to hypertension in the plateau environments.

Download Full-text

Associations between the gut microbiota and host responses to high altitude

AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpgi.00253.2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 315 (6) ◽

pp. G1003-G1015 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

J. Philip Karl ◽

Claire E. Berryman ◽

Andrew J. Young ◽

Patrick N. Radcliffe ◽

Tobyn A. Branck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

High Altitude ◽

Acute Mountain Sickness ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Host Responses ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Transient Effects ◽

Gi Symptoms ◽

Gut Microbiota Composition

Hypobaric hypoxia and dietary protein and fat intakes have been independently associated with an altered gastrointestinal (GI) environment and gut microbiota, but little is known regarding host-gut microbiota interactions at high altitude (HA) and the impact of diet macronutrient composition. This study aimed to determine the effect of dietary protein:fat ratio manipulation on the gut microbiota and GI barrier function during weight loss at high altitude (HA) and to identify associations between the gut microbiota and host responses to HA. Following sea-level (SL) testing, 17 healthy males were transported to HA (4,300 m) and randomly assigned to consume provided standard protein (SP; 1.1 g·kg−1·day−1, 39% fat) or higher protein (HP; 2.1 g·kg−1·day−1, 23% fat) carbohydrate-matched hypocaloric diets for 22 days. Fecal microbiota composition and metabolites, GI barrier function, GI symptoms, and acute mountain sickness (AMS) severity were measured. Macronutrient intake did not impact fecal microbiota composition, had only transient effects on microbiota metabolites, and had no effect on increases in small intestinal permeability, GI symptoms, and inflammation observed at HA. AMS severity was also unaffected by diet but in exploratory analyses was associated with higher SL-relative abundance of Prevotella, a known driver of interindividual variability in human gut microbiota composition, and greater microbiota diversity after AMS onset. Findings suggest that the gut microbiota may contribute to variability in host responses to HA independent of the dietary protein:fat ratio but should be considered preliminary and hypothesis generating due to the small sample size and exploratory nature of analyses associating the fecal microbiota and host responses to HA.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study is the first to examine interactions among diet, the gut microbiota, and host responses to weight loss at high altitude (HA). Observed associations among the gut microbiota, weight loss at HA, and acute mountain sickness provide evidence that the microbiota may contribute to variability in host responses to HA. In contrast, dietary protein:fat ratio had only minimal, transient effects on gut microbiota composition and bacterial metabolites which were likely not of clinical consequence.

Download Full-text

Maternal Gut Microbes Contribute to Rapid Acquisition of Intestinal Microbiota and High-Altitude Adaptation of Pre-Weaning Yak Calves

10.21203/rs.3.rs-170399/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jianbo Zhang ◽

Zeyi Liang ◽

Renqing Ding Kao ◽

Jianlin Han ◽

Mei Du ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

High Altitude ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Development Stage ◽

Nutritional Deficiencies ◽

Source Tracking ◽

Evolutionary Significance ◽

Harsh Environment ◽

Clear Understanding ◽

Rapid Acquisition

Abstract BackgroundLong time exposure to seasonal forage availability and harsh environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has resulted in a series of unique adaptation mechanisms following the evolution of yak to cope with nutritional deficiencies and other adverse conditions. This is likely achieved by an unprecedented genetic resource for fibrolytic enzymes of microbial origins that allow the host to efficiently degrade plant polysaccharides. However, to what extent of maternal symbiotic microbial transmission throughout early microbial successions and its adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia in grazing yak driven by the harsh environment and nutritional stress have been far from clear. Understanding the colonization and succession of yak gut microbiota would help to clarify the functional interaction and crosstalk between microorganisms and their hosts. This study explored the succession of intestinal microbiota of yak ( Bos grunniens ) and cattle ( Bos taurus ) kept in the same habitat during pre-weaning period. ResultsThe gut microbiota of yak and cattle calves were dominated by members of the families Ruminococcaceae , Lachnospiraceae , and Bacteroidaceae during pre-weaning. Moreover, source-tracking models revealed that maternal microbiota was critical for the rapid establishment and colonization of initial intestinal microbiota of their calves at development stage and its impact persisted until weaning or even longer. Compared with cattle calves, the gut microbiota of yak calves was rapidly established and reached to a relatively stable status at the 5th week after birth, indicating the evolutionary significance of interaction between the yak and its intestinal microbial community that could facilitate the adaptation of this flagship species to adapt to the harsh environment on the QTP. ConclusionOur results revealed that under natural grazing conditions, the calves raised by their mothers acquire gut microbiota through the contacts with maternal feces and the social learning behavior, which accelerate the establishment of stable intestinal microbiota. In addition, after long-term natural selection, the yak calves acquire a relatively mature and stable intestinal microbiota earlier than the cattle calves, facilitating their strong adaptation to the harsh environment on the QTP.

Download Full-text

Predominance of Extreme Environmental Conditions at High Altitude in Modulating Human Gut Microbiota

10.22541/au.159646791.16636826 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Brij Bhushan ◽

Malleswara Eslavath ◽

Anand Yadav ◽

Ashish Srivastava ◽

Maran Prasanna Reddy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

High Altitude ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Human Gut ◽

Human Gut Microbiota

Download Full-text

Acute Exposure to Simulated High-altitude Hypoxia Alters Gut Microbiota in Mice

10.21203/rs.3.rs-930968/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Feng Wang ◽

Han Zhang ◽

Tong Xu ◽

Youchun Hu ◽

Yugang Jiang

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

High Altitude ◽

Sea Level ◽

Mobile Element ◽

Acute Exposure ◽

Altitude Hypoxia ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Hypoxia Group ◽

High Altitude Hypoxia ◽

Simulated High Altitude

Abstract Gut microbiota bears adaptive potential to different environments, but little is known regarding its responses to acute high-altitude exposure. This study aimed to evaluate the microbial changes after acute exposure to simulated high-altitude hypoxia. C57BL/6J mice were divided into hypoxia and normoxia groups. The hypoxia group was exposed to a simulated altitude of 5500 m for 24 hours above sea level. The normoxia group was maintained in low-altitude of 10 m above sea level. Colonic microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA V4 gene sequencing. Compared with the normoxia group, shannon, simpson and Akkermansia were significantly increased, while Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and Bifidobacterium were significantly decreased in the hypoxia group. The hypoxia group exhibited lower mobile element containing and higher potentially pathogenic and stress tolerant phenotypes than those in the normoxia group. Functional analysis indicated that environmental information processing was significantly lower, metabolism, cellular processes and organismal systems were significantly higher in the hypoxia group than those in the normoxia group. In conclusion, acute exposure to simulated high-altitude hypoxia alters gut microbiota diversity and composition, which may provide a potential target to alleviate acute high-altitude diseases.

Download Full-text