scholarly journals Identifying determinants of bacterial fitness in a model of human gut microbial succession

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. 2622-2633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihui Feng ◽  
Arjun S. Raman ◽  
Matthew C. Hibberd ◽  
Jiye Cheng ◽  
Nicholas W. Griffin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Feature Reduction ◽  
Human Infant ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Transcriptional Responses ◽  
Carbohydrate Utilization ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Phase Strains

Human gut microbiota development has been associated with healthy growth but understanding the determinants of community assembly and composition is a formidable challenge. We cultured bacteria from serially collected fecal samples from a healthy infant; 34 sequenced strains containing 103,102 genes were divided into two consortia representing earlier and later stages in community assembly during the first six postnatal months. The two consortia were introduced alone (singly), or sequentially in different order, or simultaneously into young germ-free mice fed human infant formula. The pattern of fitness of bacterial strains observed across the different colonization conditions indicated that later-phase strains substantially outcompete earlier-phase strains, although four early-phase members persist. Persistence was not determined by order of introduction, suggesting that priority effects are not prominent in this model. To characterize succession in the context of the metabolic potential of consortium members, we performed in silico reconstructions of metabolic pathways involved in carbohydrate utilization and amino acid and B-vitamin biosynthesis, then quantified the fitness (abundance) of strains in serially collected fecal samples and their transcriptional responses to different histories of colonization. Applying feature-reduction methods disclosed a set of metabolic pathways whose presence and/or expression correlates with strain fitness and that enable early-stage colonizers to survive during introduction of later colonizers. The approach described can be used to test the magnitude of the contribution of identified metabolic pathways to fitness in different community contexts, study various ecological processes thought to govern community assembly, and facilitate development of microbiota-directed therapeutics.

scholarly journals Interplay between the human gut microbiome and host metabolism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Visconti ◽  
Caroline I. Le Roy ◽  
Fabio Rosa ◽  
Niccolo Rossi ◽  
Tiphaine C. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Microbiome Composition ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Key Species

AbstractThe human gut is inhabited by a complex and metabolically active microbial ecosystem regulating host health. While many studies have focused on the effect of individual microbial taxa, the metabolic potential of the entire gut microbial ecosystem has been largely under-explored. We characterised the gut microbiome of 1,004 twins via whole shotgun metagenomic sequencing (average 39M reads per sample). We observed greater similarity, across unrelated individuals, for functional metabolic pathways (82%) than for taxonomic composition (43%). We conducted a microbiota-wide association study linking both taxonomic information and microbial metabolic pathways with 673 blood and 713 faecal metabolites (Metabolon, Inc.). Metabolic pathways associated with 34% of blood and 95% of faecal metabolites, with over 18,000 significant associations, while species-level results identified less than 3,000 associations, suggesting that coordinated action of multiple taxa is required to affect the metabolome. Finally, we estimated that the microbiome mediated a crosstalk between 71% of faecal and 15% of blood metabolites, highlighting six key species (unclassified Subdoligranulum spp., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia inulinivorans, Methanobrevibacter smithii, Eubacterium rectale, and Akkermansia muciniphila). Because of the large inter-person variability in microbiome composition, our results underline the importance of studying gut microbial metabolic pathways rather than focusing purely on taxonomy to find therapeutic and diagnostic targets.

scholarly journals Interplay between the human gut microbiome and host metabolism

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Visconti ◽  
Caroline I. Le Roy ◽  
Fabio Rosa ◽  
Niccolò Rossi ◽  
Tiphaine C. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Blood Metabolites ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Microbial Metabolic Potential ◽  
Host Metabolism

Abstract The human gut is inhabited by a complex and metabolically active microbial ecosystem. While many studies focused on the effect of individual microbial taxa on human health, their overall metabolic potential has been under-explored. Using whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing data in 1,004 twins, we first observed that unrelated subjects share, on average, almost double the number of metabolic pathways (82%) than species (43%). Then, using 673 blood and 713 faecal metabolites, we found metabolic pathways to be associated with 34% of blood and 95% of faecal metabolites, with over 18,000 significant associations, while species showed less than 3,000 associations. Finally, we estimated that the microbiome was involved in a dialogue between 71% of faecal, and 15% of blood, metabolites. This study underlines the importance of studying the microbial metabolic potential rather than focusing purely on taxonomy to find therapeutic and diagnostic targets, and provides a unique resource describing the interplay between the microbiome and the systemic and faecal metabolic environments.

scholarly journals Preservation of Human Gut Microbiota Inoculums for In Vitro Fermentations Studies

Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Nelson Mota de Carvalho ◽  
Diana Luazi Oliveira ◽  
Mayra Anton Dib Saleh ◽  
Manuela Pintado ◽  
Ana Raquel Madureira
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Metabolic Profile ◽  
Bacterial Count ◽  
Glycerol Solution ◽  
Metabolic Profiles ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Colonic Fermentation ◽  
In Vitro Fermentation ◽  
Fecal Samples

The use of fecal inoculums for in vitro fermentation models requires a viable gut microbiota, capable of fermenting the unabsorbed nutrients. Fresh samples from human donors are used; however, the availability of fresh fecal inoculum and its inherent variability is often a problem. This study aimed to optimize a method of preserving pooled human fecal samples for in vitro fermentation studies. Different conditions and times of storage at −20 °C were tested. In vitro fermentation experiments were carried out for both fresh and frozen inoculums, and the metabolic profile compared. In comparison with the fresh, the inoculum frozen in a PBS and 30% glycerol solution, had a significantly lower (p < 0.05) bacterial count (<1 log CFU/mL). However, no significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between the metabolic profiles after 48 h. Hence, a PBS and 30% glycerol solution can be used to maintain the gut microbiota viability during storage at −20 °C for at least 3 months, without interfering with the normal course of colonic fermentation.

scholarly journals Quantifying fluorescent glycan uptake to elucidate strain-level variability in foraging behaviors of rumen bacteria

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leeann Klassen ◽  
Greta Reintjes ◽  
Jeffrey P. Tingley ◽  
Darryl R. Jones ◽  
Jan-Hendrik Hehemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Strain Level ◽  
Metabolic Phenotype ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Carbohydrate Utilization

AbstractGut microbiomes, such as the microbial community that colonizes the rumen, have vast catabolic potential and play a vital role in host health and nutrition. By expanding our understanding of metabolic pathways in these ecosystems, we will garner foundational information for manipulating microbiome structure and function to influence host physiology. Currently, our knowledge of metabolic pathways relies heavily on inferences derived from metagenomics or culturing bacteria in vitro. However, novel approaches targeting specific cell physiologies can illuminate the functional potential encoded within microbial (meta)genomes to provide accurate assessments of metabolic abilities. Using fluorescently labeled polysaccharides, we visualized carbohydrate metabolism performed by single bacterial cells in a complex rumen sample, enabling a rapid assessment of their metabolic phenotype. Specifically, we identified bovine-adapted strains of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron that metabolized yeast mannan in the rumen microbiome ex vivo and discerned the mechanistic differences between two distinct carbohydrate foraging behaviors, referred to as “medium grower” and “high grower.” Using comparative whole-genome sequencing, RNA-seq, and carbohydrate-active enzyme fingerprinting, we could elucidate the strain-level variability in carbohydrate utilization systems of the two foraging behaviors to help predict individual strategies of nutrient acquisition. Here, we present a multi-faceted study using complimentary next-generation physiology and “omics” approaches to characterize microbial adaptation to a prebiotic in the rumen ecosystem.

scholarly journals The metabolic profile of Bifidobacterium dentium reflects its status as a human gut commensal

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda A. Engevik ◽  
Heather A. Danhof ◽  
Anne Hall ◽  
Kristen A. Engevik ◽  
Thomas D. Horvath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Glycosyl Hydrolase ◽  
Acid Resistance ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Nutrient Sources ◽  
Metabolic Plasticity ◽  
Defined Media ◽  
High Viability ◽  
Ph Range

Abstract Background Bifidobacteria are commensal microbes of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we aimed to identify the intestinal colonization mechanisms and key metabolic pathways implemented by Bifidobacterium dentium. Results B. dentium displayed acid resistance, with high viability over a pH range from 4 to 7; findings that correlated to the expression of Na+/H+ antiporters within the B. dentium genome. B. dentium was found to adhere to human MUC2+ mucus and harbor mucin-binding proteins. Using microbial phenotyping microarrays and fully-defined media, we demonstrated that in the absence of glucose, B. dentium could metabolize a variety of nutrient sources. Many of these nutrient sources were plant-based, suggesting that B. dentium can consume dietary substances. In contrast to other bifidobacteria, B. dentium was largely unable to grow on compounds found in human mucus; a finding that was supported by its glycosyl hydrolase (GH) profile. Of the proteins identified in B. dentium by proteomic analysis, a large cohort of proteins were associated with diverse metabolic pathways, indicating metabolic plasticity which supports colonization of the dynamic gastrointestinal environment. Conclusions Taken together, we conclude that B. dentium is well adapted for commensalism in the gastrointestinal tract.

scholarly journals Bacterial community structure alterations within the colorectal cancer gut microbiome

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Loftus ◽  
Sayf Al-Deen Hassouneh ◽  
Shibu Yooseph
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Late Stage ◽  
Bacterial Community Structure ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Human Gut Microbiome

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The human gut microbiome has become an active area of research for understanding the initiation, progression, and treatment of colorectal cancer. Despite multiple studies having found significant alterations in the carriage of specific bacteria within the gut microbiome of colorectal cancer patients, no single bacterium has been unequivocally connected to all cases. Whether alterations in species carriages are the cause or outcome of cancer formation is still unclear, but what is clear is that focus should be placed on understanding changes to the bacterial community structure within the cancer-associated gut microbiome. Results By applying a novel set of analyses on 252 previously published whole-genome shotgun sequenced fecal samples from healthy and late-stage colorectal cancer subjects, we identify taxonomic, functional, and structural changes within the cancer-associated human gut microbiome. Bacterial association networks constructed from these data exhibited widespread differences in the underlying bacterial community structure between healthy and colorectal cancer associated gut microbiomes. Within the cancer-associated ecosystem, bacterial species were found to form associations with other species that are taxonomically and functionally dissimilar to themselves, as well as form modules functionally geared towards potential changes in the tumor-associated ecosystem. Bacterial community profiling of these samples revealed a significant increase in species diversity within the cancer-associated gut microbiome, and an elevated relative abundance of species classified as originating from the oral microbiome including, but not limited to, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Peptostreptococcus stomatis, Gemella morbillorum, and Parvimonas micra. Differential abundance analyses of community functional capabilities revealed an elevation in functions linked to virulence factors and peptide degradation, and a reduction in functions involved in amino-acid biosynthesis within the colorectal cancer gut microbiome. Conclusions We utilize whole-genome shotgun sequenced fecal samples provided from a large cohort of late-stage colorectal cancer and healthy subjects to identify a number of potentially important taxonomic, functional, and structural alterations occurring within the colorectal cancer associated gut microbiome. Our analyses indicate that the cancer-associated ecosystem influences bacterial partner selection in the native microbiota, and we highlight specific oral bacteria and their associations as potentially relevant towards aiding tumor progression.

scholarly journals Genomics Reveals the Metabolic Potential and Functions in the Redistribution of Dissolved Organic Matter in Marine Environments of the Genus Thalassotalea

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1412
Author(s):  
Minji Kim ◽  
In-Tae Cha ◽  
Ki-Eun Lee ◽  
Eun-Young Lee ◽  
Soo-Je Park
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dissolved Organic Matter ◽  
Extracellular Enzymes ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Marine Environments ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Carbohydrate Utilization ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Metagenomic Study

Members of the bacterial genus Thalassotalea have been isolated recently from various marine environments, including marine invertebrates. A metagenomic study of the Deepwater Horizon oil plume has identified genes involved in aromatic hydrocarbon degradation in the Thalassotalea genome, shedding light on its potential role in the degradation of crude oils. However, the genomic traits of the genus are not well-characterized, despite the ability of the species to degrade complex natural compounds, such as agar, gelatin, chitin, or starch. Here, we obtained a complete genome of a new member of the genus, designated PS06, isolated from marine sediments containing dead marine benthic macroalgae. Unexpectedly, strain PS06 was unable to grow using most carbohydrates as sole carbon sources, which is consistent with the finding of few ABC transporters in the PS06 genome. A comparative analysis of 12 Thalassotalea genomes provided insights into their metabolic potential (e.g., microaerobic respiration and carbohydrate utilization) and evolutionary stability [including a low abundance of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) loci and prophages]. The diversity and frequency of genes encoding extracellular enzymes for carbohydrate metabolism in the 12 genomes suggest that members of Thalassotalea contribute to nutrient cycling by the redistribution of dissolved organic matter in marine environments. Our study improves our understanding of the ecological and genomic properties of the genus Thalassotalea.

scholarly journals Drivers of human gut microbial community assembly: coadaptation, determinism and stochasticity

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3080-3092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Oliphant ◽  
Valeria R. Parreira ◽  
Kyla Cochrane ◽  
Emma Allen-Vercoe
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Gut Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Community Assembly

scholarly journals Diversity and origins of anaerobic metabolism in mitochondria and related organelles

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1678) ◽  
pp. 20140326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney W. Stairs ◽  
Michelle M. Leger ◽  
Andrew J. Roger
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Anaerobic Metabolism ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Eukaryotic Diversity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Microbial Eukaryotes ◽  
Sequencing Studies ◽  
Diversity Of Life

Across the diversity of life, organisms have evolved different strategies to thrive in hypoxic environments, and microbial eukaryotes (protists) are no exception. Protists that experience hypoxia often possess metabolically distinct mitochondria called mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs). While there are some common metabolic features shared between the MROs of distantly related protists, these organelles have evolved independently multiple times across the breadth of eukaryotic diversity. Until recently, much of our knowledge regarding the metabolic potential of different MROs was limited to studies in parasitic lineages. Over the past decade, deep-sequencing studies of free-living anaerobic protists have revealed novel configurations of metabolic pathways that have been co-opted for life in low oxygen environments. Here, we provide recent examples of anaerobic metabolism in the MROs of free-living protists and their parasitic relatives. Additionally, we outline evolutionary scenarios to explain the origins of these anaerobic pathways in eukaryotes.

scholarly journals Linking Spatial Structure and Community-Level Biotic Interactions through Cooccurrence and Time Series Modeling of the Human Intestinal Microbiota

mSystems ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. de Muinck ◽  
Knut E. A. Lundin ◽  
Pål Trosvik
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Spatial Structure ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Human Gut Microbiome

ABSTRACT The human gut microbiome is the subject of intense study due to its importance in health and disease. The majority of these studies have been based on the analysis of feces. However, little is known about how the microbial composition in fecal samples relates to the spatial distribution of microbial taxa along the gastrointestinal tract. By characterizing the microbial content both in intestinal tissue samples and in fecal samples obtained daily, we provide a conceptual framework for how the spatial structure relates to biotic interactions on the community level. We further describe general categories of spatial distribution patterns and identify taxa conforming to these categories. To our knowledge, this is the first study combining spatial and temporal analyses of the human gut microbiome. This type of analysis can be used for identifying candidate probiotics and designing strategies for clinical intervention. The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome is a densely populated ecosystem where dynamics are determined by interactions between microbial community members, as well as host factors. The spatial organization of this system is thought to be important in human health, yet this aspect of our resident microbiome is still poorly understood. In this study, we report significant spatial structure of the GI microbiota, and we identify general categories of spatial patterning in the distribution of microbial taxa along a healthy human GI tract. We further estimate the biotic interaction structure in the GI microbiota, both through time series and cooccurrence modeling of microbial community data derived from a large number of sequentially collected fecal samples. Comparison of these two approaches showed that species pairs involved in significant negative interactions had strong positive contemporaneous correlations and vice versa, while for species pairs without significant interactions, contemporaneous correlations were distributed around zero. We observed similar patterns when comparing these models to the spatial correlations between taxa identified in the adherent microbiota. This suggests that colocalization of microbial taxon pairs, and thus the spatial organization of the GI microbiota, is driven, at least in part, by direct or indirect biotic interactions. Thus, our study can provide a basis for an ecological interpretation of the biogeography of the human gut. IMPORTANCE The human gut microbiome is the subject of intense study due to its importance in health and disease. The majority of these studies have been based on the analysis of feces. However, little is known about how the microbial composition in fecal samples relates to the spatial distribution of microbial taxa along the gastrointestinal tract. By characterizing the microbial content both in intestinal tissue samples and in fecal samples obtained daily, we provide a conceptual framework for how the spatial structure relates to biotic interactions on the community level. We further describe general categories of spatial distribution patterns and identify taxa conforming to these categories. To our knowledge, this is the first study combining spatial and temporal analyses of the human gut microbiome. This type of analysis can be used for identifying candidate probiotics and designing strategies for clinical intervention. Author Video: An author video summary of this article is available.

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