Characterization of the juvenile koala gut microbiome across wild populations

Abstract Background: Valeriana officinalis L. is one of the most important medicinal plant with a mild sedative, nervine, antispasmodic and relaxant effect. Despite a substantial number of studies on this species, population genomics has not yet been analyzed. The main aim of this study was: characterization of genetic variation of natural populations of V. officinalis in Poland and comparison of variation of wild populations and the cultivated form using Next Generation Sequencing based DArTseq technique. We also would like to establish foundations for genetic monitoring of the species in the future and to develop genetic fingerprint profile for samples deposited in gene bank and in natural sites in order to assess the degree of their genetic integrity and population structure preservation in the future.Results: The major and also the most astounding result of our work is the low level of observed heterozygosity of individual plants from natural populations despite the fact that the species is widespread in the studied area. Inbreeding, in naturally outcrossing species such as valerian, decreases the reproductive success. The analysis of the population structure indicated the potential presence of metapopulation in a broad area of Poland and the formation of a distinct gene pool in Bieszczady Mountains. The results also indicate the presence of individuals of the cultivated form in natural populations in the region where the species is cultivated for the needs of the pharmaceutical industry and this could lead to structural and genetic imbalance in wild populations.Conclusions: The DArTseq technology can be applied effectively in genetic studies of V. officinalis. The genetic variability of wild populations is in fact significantly lower than assumed. Individuals from the cultivated population are found in the natural environment and their impact on wild populations should be monitored.

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Gut microbiome and its cofactors are linked to lipoprotein distribution profiles

10.1101/2021.09.01.458531 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Josue Castro Mejia ◽

Bekzod Khakimov ◽

Mads Lind ◽

Eva Garne ◽

Petronela Paulova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Future Research ◽

Lipoprotein Subfractions ◽

Lipoprotein Subclasses ◽

Metagenome Sequencing ◽

Lipoprotein Distribution ◽

Host Characteristics

Increasing evidence indicates that the gut microbiome (GM) plays an important role in the etiology of dyslipidemia. To date, however, no in depth characterization of the associations between GM and its metabolic attributes with deep profiling of lipoproteins distributions (LPD) among healthy individuals has been conducted. To determine associations and contributions of GM composition and its cofactors with distribution profiles of lipoprotein subfractions, we studied blood plasma LPD, fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and GM of 262 healthy Danish subjects aged 19-89 years. Stratification of LPD segregated subjects into three clusters of profiles that reflected differences in the lipoprotein subclasses, corresponded well with limits of recommended levels of main lipoprotein fractions and were largely explained by host characteristics such as age and body mass index. Higher levels of HDL, particularly driven by large subfractions (HDL2a and HDL2b), were associated with a higher relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Christensenellaceae. Increasing levels of total cholesterol and LDL, which were primarily associated with large 1 and 2 subclasses, were positively associated with Lachnospiraceae and Coriobacteriaceae, and negatively with Bacteroidaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae. Metagenome sequencing showed a higher abundance of genes involved in the biosynthesis of multiple B-vitamins and SCFA metabolism among subjects with healthier LPD profiles. Metagenomic assembled genomes (MAGs) affiliated mainly to Eggerthellaceae and Clostridiales were identified as the contributors of these genes and whose relative abundance correlated positively with larger subfractions of HDL. The results of this study demonstrate that remarkable differences in composition and metabolic traits of the GM are associated with variations in LPD among healthy subjects. Findings from this study provide evidence for GM considerations in future research aiming to shade light on mechanisms of the GM - dyslipidemia axis.

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Molecular Characterization of the Gut Microbiome in Egyptian Patients with remitting relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.msard.2021.103354 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 103354

Author(s):

Jaidaa Mekky ◽

Richard Wani ◽

Sameh M Said ◽

Mona Ashry ◽

Ahmed Elsayed Ibrahim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Molecular Characterization ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Egyptian Patients ◽

Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

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Evidence supporting the microbiota–gut–brain axis in a songbird

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2020.0430 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. 20200430

Author(s):

Morgan C. Slevin ◽

Jennifer L. Houtz ◽

David J. Bradshaw ◽

Rindy C. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiome ◽

Beta Diversity ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Cloacal Swab ◽

Cognitive Tasks ◽

Captive Population ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽

Microbiome Research ◽

Host Development

Recent research in mammals supports a link between cognitive ability and the gut microbiome, but little is known about this relationship in other taxa. In a captive population of 38 zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ), we quantified performance on cognitive tasks measuring learning and memory. We sampled the gut microbiome via cloacal swab and quantified bacterial alpha and beta diversity. Performance on cognitive tasks related to beta diversity but not alpha diversity. We then identified differentially abundant genera influential in the beta diversity differences among cognitive performance categories. Though correlational, this study provides some of the first evidence of an avian microbiota–gut–brain axis, building foundations for future microbiome research in wild populations and during host development.

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Diet induces parallel changes to the gut microbiota and problem solving performance in a wild bird

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-77256-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gabrielle L. Davidson ◽

Niamh Wiley ◽

Amy C. Cooke ◽

Crystal N. Johnson ◽

Fiona Fouhy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Parus Major ◽

Behavioural Plasticity ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Problem Solve ◽

Induced Changes ◽

Host Behaviour ◽

Problem Solving Task

AbstractThe microbial community in the gut is influenced by environmental factors, especially diet, which can moderate host behaviour through the microbiome-gut-brain axis. However, the ecological relevance of microbiome-mediated behavioural plasticity in wild animals is unknown. We presented wild-caught great tits (Parus major) with a problem-solving task and showed that performance was weakly associated with variation in the gut microbiome. We then manipulated the gut microbiome by feeding birds one of two diets that differed in their relative levels of fat, protein and fibre content: an insect diet (low content), or a seed diet (high content). Microbial communities were less diverse among individuals given the insect compared to those on the seed diet. Individuals were less likely to problem-solve after being given the insect diet, and the same microbiota metrics that were altered as a consequence of diet were also those that correlated with variation in problem solving performance. Although the effect on problem-solving behaviour could have been caused by motivational or nutritional differences between our treatments, our results nevertheless raise the possibility that dietary induced changes in the gut microbiota could be an important mechanism underlying individual behavioural plasticity in wild populations.

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