Dataset Information

Spatial Heterogeneity of Gut Microbial Composition along the Gastrointestinal Tract in Natural Populations of House Mice.

ABSTRACT: There is a growing appreciation of the role of gut microbial communities in host biology. However, the nature of variation in microbial communities among different segments of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not well understood. Here, we describe microbial communities from ten different segments of the GI tract (mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, ileum, proximal cecum, distal cecum, colon, rectum, and feces) in wild house mice using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We also measured carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic ratios from hair samples of individual mice as a proxy for diet. We identified factors that may explain differences in microbial composition among gut segments, and we tested for differences among individual mice in the composition of the microbiota. Consistent with previous studies, the lower GI tract was characterized by a greater relative abundance of anaerobic bacteria and greater microbial diversity relative to the upper GI tract. The upper and lower GI tracts also differed in the relative abundances of predicted microbial gene functions, including those involved in metabolic pathways. However, when the upper and lower GI tracts were considered separately, gut microbial composition was associated with individual mice. Finally, microbial communities derived from fecal samples were similar to those derived from the lower GI tract of their respective hosts, supporting the utility of fecal sampling for studying the gut microbiota of mice. These results show that while there is substantial heterogeneity among segments of the GI tract, individual hosts play a significant role in structuring microbial communities within particular segments of the GI tract.

SUBMITTER: Suzuki TA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5036816 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Spatial Heterogeneity of Gut Microbial Composition along the Gastrointestinal Tract in Natural Populations of House Mice.

Suzuki Taichi A TA Nachman Michael W MW

PloS one 20160926 9

There is a growing appreciation of the role of gut microbial communities in host biology. However, the nature of variation in microbial communities among different segments of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not well understood. Here, we describe microbial communities from ten different segments of the GI tract (mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, ileum, proximal cecum, distal cecum, colon, rectum, and feces) in wild house mice using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We also measured carbon ...[more]

PMID: 27669007

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Project description:Diversity and composition of microbial communities was compared across the 13 major sections of the digestive tract (esophagus, reticulum, rumen, omasum, abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and rectum) in two captive populations of American bison (Bison bison), one of which was finished on forage, the other on grain.Microbial diversity fell to its lowest levels in the small intestine, with Bacteroidetes reaching their lowest relative abundance in that region, while Firmicutes and Euryarchaeota attained their highest relative abundances there. Gammaproteobacteria were most abundant in the esophagus, small intestine, and colon. The forage-finished bison population exhibited higher overall levels of diversity, as well as a higher relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in most gut sections. The grain-finished bison population exhibited elevated levels of Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria. Within each population, different sections of the digestive tract exhibited divergent microbial community composition, although it was essentially the same among sections within a given region of the digestive tract. Shannon diversity was lowest in the midgut. For each section of the digestive tract, the two bison populations differed significantly in microbial community composition.Similarities among sections indicate that the esophagus, reticulum, rumen, omasum, and abomasum may all be considered to house the foregut microbiota; the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum may all be considered to house the small intestine or midgut microbiota; and the cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and rectum may all be considered to house the hindgut microbiota. Acid from the stomach, bile from the gall bladder, digestive enzymes from the pancreas, and the relatively low retention time of the small intestine may have caused the midgut's low microbial diversity. Differences in microbial community composition between populations may have been most strongly influenced by differences in diet (forage or grain). The clinical condition of the animals used in the present study was not evaluated, so further research is needed to establish whether the microbial profiles of some bison in this study are indeed indicative of dysbiosis, a predisposing factor to ruminal acidosis and its sequelae.

Dataset Information

Spatial Heterogeneity of Gut Microbial Composition along the Gastrointestinal Tract in Natural Populations of House Mice.

Publications

Spatial Heterogeneity of Gut Microbial Composition along the Gastrointestinal Tract in Natural Populations of House Mice.

Similar Datasets

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