粪便留取量对粪便中细菌结构和功能的影响CSCD

目的探究不同粪便留取量对肠道菌群构成研究结果的影响,为肠道菌群构成研究中粪便样本的采集方式提供参考。方法本研究分别对全便和部分粪便进行预处理,并使用PacBio SMRT测序技术对10名志愿者的20份粪便样本进行了16S rRNA全长测序,通过多元统计学等手段对粪便中细菌的构成、多样性和功能进行比较分析。结果Eubacterium rectale、Eubacterium ventriosum和Allisonella histaminiformans等低丰度物种的相对丰度在不同粪便留取量中有一定差异,其在全便中的相对丰度均显著高于部分粪便(P<0.05)。但Wilcoxon配对检验发现粪便留取量对肠道菌群结构、多样性和功能的影响均无显著性差异(P>0.05)。不同个体间肠道菌群结构存在明显差异,且粪便留取量的影响远小于个体差异。结论全便和部分粪便两种粪便留取量对检测微生物的组成、多样性和功能无显著影响,因此取部分粪便即可满足对肠道菌群研究的要求。     

快速评价肠道微生物的qPCR方法的建立

【背景】近些年,16S rRNA基因测序与宏基因组分析常用于肠道微生物病原体检测。【目的】为了使检测不受限于高成本与耗时长的问题,基于荧光探针的实时荧光定量PCR(real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, qPCR),建立一种评估人类肠道微生物群组成的平台用于检测肠道微生物丰度。【方法】从公共数据库筛选10种肠道中普遍存在的微生物分类群,使用20个粪便样本验证为10种靶标所设计的特异性引物与探针,最后通过比较qPCR方法和16SrRNA基因测序技术的检测结果来评估该平台的有效性。【结果】10对引物及其探针对靶标分类群具有特异性并且在HITdb数据库中靶向菌种的覆盖率超过70%;样本检测结果的变异系数(coefficient of variation,CV)小于10%,证明了该方法具有很高的稳定性;qPCR方法检测样本中物种的相对丰度与16S rRNA基因序列生物信息学分析结果大部分具有显著相关性(P<0.05)。【结论】本研究根据HITdb数据库设计的靶向微生物群的引物和探针检测到的粪便样本中微生物的相对丰度结果与16S rRNA基因测序结...     

七氟菊酯和溴氰菊酯对棉铃虫肠道菌群的影响

【目的】本研究旨在探究拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂对棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera幼虫肠道菌群结构及代谢的影响,丰富对杀虫剂作用机理的认识。【方法】分别对棉铃虫2和3龄幼虫饲喂普通人工饲料(对照组, SS)、含2%七氟菊酯(Ⅰ型拟除虫菊酯)粉剂饲料(七氟菊酯处理组,Te)和含2.5%溴氰菊酯(Ⅱ型拟除虫菊酯)乳油饲料(溴氰菊酯处理组, DM),然后提取3龄幼虫肠道菌群基因组DNA;利用Illumina MiSeq二代高通量测序技术对肠道细菌的16S rDNA的V3-V4变异区进行测序,分析其肠道细菌的多样性和丰富度;利用qPCR验证16S rDNA测序分析结果。取2和3龄幼虫肠道,匀浆后进行Biolog-Eco实验,分析肠道细菌对Eco板上31种碳源的代谢情况。【结果】16S rDNA测序结果表明,棉铃虫3龄幼虫肠道细菌主要是厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)、变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和蓝藻菌门(Cyanobacteria)。与对照组相比,溴氰菊酯处理组和七氟菊酯处理组的棉铃虫幼虫肠道细菌的α多样性指数没有显著性改变,但是菌群结构发生了变化：在门水平,拟杆菌门的相对丰度减少,厚壁菌门和蓝藻菌门的相对丰度增加,qPCR验证结果亦支持16S rDNA测序分析的这个结果;在属水平,拟杆菌属Bacteroides、普氏菌属Prevotella和假单胞菌属Pseudomonas等的相对丰度降低,狭义梭菌属Clostridium sensu stricto 1、埃希菌属-志贺氏菌属Escherichia-Shigella和盐单胞菌属Halomonas等的相对丰度增加,其中盐单胞菌属Halomonas的相对丰度显著增加。Biolog-Eco结果表明,与对照组相比,溴氰菊酯处理组中2龄幼虫对羧酸类碳源的代谢能力下降;溴氰菊酯处理组和七氟菊酯处理组中3龄幼虫对DL-α-磷酸甘油、肝糖和L-苯丙氨酸等碳源的利用能力下降。【结论】结果显示,拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂对棉铃虫肠道菌群的结构和代谢能力有明显影响,拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂使棉铃虫肠道有益菌的相对丰度下降,而使致病菌的相对丰度增加。短时间拟除虫菊酯处理未造成抗药性菌群的丰度增加。qPCR检测结果与16S rDNA测序分析结果相似。Ⅰ型和Ⅱ型拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂对棉铃虫肠道菌群结构和代谢功能的影响不同。     

基于PacBio SMRT测序技术评估妊娠期糖尿病人的肠道菌群

[目的]肠道菌群是位于人体肠道内的微生物菌群,其组成与人类多种疾病相关。例如,已有研究表明肠道菌群的变化与妊娠期糖尿病（gestational diabetes mellitus,GDM）的发病密切相关。因此本研究基于PacBio SMRT测序技术评估及比较了不同民族（汉族和蒙古族）及是否患GDM的孕妇的肠道菌群。[方法]本研究利用PacBio SMRT测序技术对97例患有GDM及健康的汉族和蒙古族孕妇粪便样本进行了全长16S rRNA测序及分析。[结果]总体来说,处于相同孕期的4组孕妇肠道菌群的组成相似,不同核心菌群展现出不同强弱的相关性。本研究在种的水平上共鉴定到了44个种。在汉族人中,患有妊娠期糖尿病的孕妇肠道菌群中Akkermansia muciniphila菌的相对丰度要显著低于健康孕妇;而在蒙古族人中,健康孕妇与GDM孕妇间差异并不明显。在健康对照中发现汉族孕妇肠道菌群中Bacteroides uniformis菌的相对丰度显著高于蒙古族孕妇;但在患有GDM组中未找到不同民族分组间的差异。另外,功能预测结果发现四组样本菌群功能组成高度相似,大多数功能基因都与能量代谢有关。汉族GDM患者与健康对照组间没有发现显著差异,但在蒙古族GDM患者中发现无机离子运输等功能相对丰度显著高于与蒙古族正常孕妇。[结论]在相同的孕期,妊娠期孕妇的核心肠道菌群结构与功能是相对稳定的,而民族差异也不会对妊娠期菌群产生显著性影响。但在四组间可以检测到一些低丰度的差异菌群,如Akkermansia muciniphila,其丰度的变化可能导致了肠道中一些与肠道营养吸收等有关的代谢发生变化,而这些变化可能与妊娠期糖尿病的发生密切相关。本研究将有助于探究肠道菌群在GDM发病机制中的作用。     

基于16S rRNA和非靶向代谢组测序分析结直肠癌患者肠道菌群及代谢物的变化

目的 采用16S rRNA和非靶向代谢组测序分析的方法探讨结直肠癌患者肠道菌群和其代谢产物的变化。方法 新鲜粪便为实验样品,收集10个结直肠癌患者组样本和6个正常对照组样本进行16S rRNA测序,分析肠道菌群的组成、多样性和物种差异,并对预测差异肠道菌群代谢功能;取8个结直肠癌组样本和6个正常对照组样本进行LC-MS非靶向代谢组学测序,分析代谢产物变化情况并进行功能预测。结果 结直肠癌组的菌群多样性较正常对照组无显著差异（P>0.05）。结直肠癌组的优势菌群为疣微菌门,结直肠癌组葡萄球菌、嗜冷杆菌属、毛螺菌科NK4A136、梭状芽孢杆菌vadinBB60和CAG-56相对丰度增加（P<0.05）,CAG-352、瘤胃球菌属、粪球菌属和挑剔真杆菌相对丰度降低（P<0.05）。KEGG富集分析发现,差异菌群在环境信息处理、遗传信息处理和新陈代谢等通路中发挥重要作用。非靶向代谢组学测序检测出两组样本有367种代谢物存在显著差异,对差异代谢物进行功能预测发现与咖啡因、嘌呤、氨基糖和核苷酸糖和生物素等的代谢相关。结论 结直肠癌患者的肠道菌群和代谢物与健康个体存在差异,结直肠癌...     

细菌性阴道病肠道菌群与阴道菌群16S rDNA测序分析

目的通过对细菌性阴道病(BV)患者肠道菌群及阴道菌群16S rDNA扩增子测序,分析其结构、多样性、相关性以及BV对肠道菌群的影响,为今后治疗BV提供新的思路。方法选取符合纳入标准的BV患者11例(BV组),健康者9例(C组),留存阴道分泌物及新鲜粪便进行16S rDNA基因检测分析。结果C组阴道菌群以乳杆菌属为主,BV与加德纳菌属、普雷沃菌属、Sneathia、窄食单胞菌属(Stenotrophomonas)、阿托波菌属、Shuttleworthia、巨型球菌属密切相关。BV组肠道、阴道菌群丰富度均高于C组。Alpha多样性分析中C组和BV组肠道菌群、阴道菌群的Shannon指数组间比较,χ²值为29.137, P=0.000<0.05,两组阴道菌群Shannon指数组间比较差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05),BV组高于C组。物种多样性曲线反映本研究样本测序数据量的合理性,表明BV组的肠道菌群多样性、丰富度均高于C组,主坐标分析表明C组肠道与阴道的菌群结构差距较大,BV组肠道与阴道的菌群结构有相似之处,且两组肠道菌群结构接近。BV组阴道菌群中厚壁菌门丰度较C组低,放线菌门、拟杆菌门较C组高;BV组肠道菌群中拟杆菌门丰度较C组低;C组肠道中拟杆菌门明显高于阴道,厚壁菌门明显低于阴道; BV组阴道菌群中放线菌门丰度高于C组,差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论BV阴道菌群与肠道菌群具有相关性,BV可能引起肠道菌群结构比例和多样性的改变。     

癫痫及伴腹泻癫痫患儿肠道菌群失衡的相关性研究CSCD

目的探究癫痫和伴腹泻癫痫婴幼儿的肠道菌群特征。方法选取2019年5月至2020年6月在西北妇女儿童医院儿童神经内科就诊的0到1岁婴儿10例,其中癫痫病例5例,伴腹泻癫痫病例5例。另选取同期在本院儿保科体检的健康婴儿作为正常组。留取所有受试者的粪便标本提取总DNA,对样本16S rRNA基因V3-V4区进行PCR扩增、测序,对扩增子测序结果进行生物信息学分析。结果癫痫患儿肠道菌群多样性显著低于正常婴儿(P<0.05),腹泻对肠道菌群均匀度分布无显著影响(P>0.05)。癫痫、伴腹泻癫痫患儿及正常婴儿肠道菌群组成和群落结构存在明显差异(P<0.05)。优势菌群主要由放线菌门、变形菌门和厚壁菌门等组成。其中癫痫患儿变形菌门相对丰度显著下降(P<0.05);伴腹泻癫痫患儿变形菌门相对丰度显著升高(P<0.01),为最优势菌门,放线菌门相对丰度显著下降(P<0.01)。属水平中,癫痫患儿肠道双歧杆菌属相对丰度显著升高(P<0.05);伴腹泻癫痫患儿大肠埃希志贺菌属相对丰度显著升高(P<0.01),双歧杆菌属相对丰度显著下降(P<0.01)。对婴儿肠道菌群组间显著性差异物种分析显示,乳杆菌属、嗜血杆菌属在健康婴儿肠道中丰度较高;Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis在癫痫患儿肠道中相对丰度较高;Clostridium_sensu_stricto、克雷伯菌属、肠球菌属在伴腹泻癫痫患儿肠道中相对丰度较高。结论肠道菌群的失调与癫痫症状的发生、发展存在关联,其中双歧杆菌属和Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis可能与癫痫症状存在相关性,而埃希志贺菌属、Clostridium_sensu_stricto可能与伴腹泻癫痫患儿症状存在相关性。癫痫与菌群失衡的因果关系需要进一步研究。     

(S)-雌马酚对肠道菌群的体外调控作用及其可代谢性研究

[目的]研究(S)-雌马酚对人体肠道菌群的体外调控作用和人体肠道菌群对(S)-雌马酚的代谢衍生作用。[方法]采用人体肠道菌群体外批量发酵、细菌16S rRNA基因高通量测序、气相色谱、液相色谱和质谱等检测(S)-雌马酚与人体肠道菌群体外相互作用。[结果]体外添加(S)-雌马酚对总体人肠道菌群结构和短链脂肪酸产量影响不明显。添加0.45 mmol/L (S)-雌马酚组与对照组相比,未检测到相对丰度发生显著变化的细菌;添加0.90 mmol/L (S)-雌马酚组与对照组相比,显著增加了肠杆菌科(Enterobacteriaceae)等条件致病菌的相对丰度,减少了潜在益生菌粪球菌属(Coprococcus)的比例。代谢分析发现,发酵培养液中(S)-雌马酚的浓度降低了约15%−30%,推测可能被微生物进一步降解或衍生修饰。[结论]从体外调控肠道菌群的角度判断,0.45 mmol/L (S)-雌马酚相对较安全,而0.90 mmol/L (S)-雌马酚可能会破坏肠道菌群平衡。(S)-雌马酚可以被人体肠道菌群进一步代谢,其特定代谢产物的结构与功能及其体内生物安全性有待进一步研究。     

PCR反应条件对16S rRNA基因扩增子测序准确性的影响

【背景】16S rRNA基因扩增子测序技术是一种不依赖培养而获得样本中细菌种群结构、相对丰度等信息的方法。高通量测序技术实验步骤较多,每一步骤细微的差别都可能在最终的测序结果中放大,并造成测序结果与实际情况的偏差。【目的】基于MiSeq测序平台,探讨PCR反应体系中扩增引物序列、退火温度、模板起始量、扩增循环数和变性时间等5个因素对16S rRNA基因测序结果的影响。【方法】对mock DNA的16S rRNA基因扩增子进行测序,分别分析不同的扩增引物、退火温度、模板起始量、循环数和变性时间对数据准确性的影响。【结果】不同的扩增引物对检测结果有较大的影响,采用的4组引物中,引物B (V3–V4,341F/806R)的准确性最好,引物A(V3–V4,341F/805R)次之。比较不同退火温度(52、55和60℃)对检测准确性的影响,退火温度60℃的结果最接近理论值。模板起始量(2、10和50 ng)的检测结果显示,mock DNA起始量为2ng的结果准确性最高。相较于其他3组(15+18、25+8和30+8),循环数为(20+8)的检测结果最接近mock DNA的理论值。不同变性时间(3...     

基于NGS方法评估不同保存条件对粪便样本中菌群含量的影响

目的评估粪便样本的不同保存条件对肠道微生态研究结果的影响。方法设计相关实验,比较7种不同的保存方法,基于高通量测序技术比对不同时间、不同贮存温度对粪便样本DNA质量、菌群多样性及病原菌检出等结果之间的差异。结果证实了对于粪便样本采集仍建议采取即刻提取核酸或-20℃保存的方法。同时比较多种保存方法后发现,采用不同样本保存方法受到影响的菌属集中在低丰度菌属(≤0.01%),对应较高丰度的病原菌检测结果的可靠性影响较小,样本中丰度超过千分之一的病原菌检测率超过95%。结论对于肠道微生态研究建议对粪便样本采取即刻提取核酸或-20℃保存的方法。对于由于其他原因未能妥善保存的粪便样本(如常温保存48 h),仍可对丰度超过千分之一的病原菌进行检测。以上结果对于肠道菌群研究中异地所采集的粪便样本运输和贮存具有一定的指导意义。     

Development of Faecalibacterium 16S rRNA gene marker for identification of human faeces

Aims:  The focus of this study was to identify a bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequence, unique to microbiota in the human gut, for use in development of a dependable PCR assay to detect human faecal pollution in water.
Methods and Results:  Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and bioinformatics were used to identify a genetic marker, within the 16S rRNA gene of Faecalibacterium , for the detection of human faeces. DNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that a majority (16) of 74 clones of the SSH library contained insertion sequences identified as Faecalibacterium 16S rRNA genes . Human faeces-specific sequences were derived and six PCR primer sets designed and tested against faecal DNA samples from human and nonhuman sources. One PCR primer set, HFB-F3 and HFB-R5, was exclusively associated with human faeces. These primers generated a human faeces-specific amplicon of 399 bp from 60·2% of human faecal samples and 100% of sewage samples.
Conclusions:  The subject Faecalibacterium marker is specific for sewage.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study represents the initial report of a Faecalibacterium marker for human faeces, which may prove useful for microbial source tracking.     

Gut milieu shapes the bacterial communities of invasive silver carp

Silver carp is an invasive fish present in the Gobindsagar reservoir, India and has a profound impact on aquaculture. Understanding taxonomic diversity and functional attributes of gut microbiota will provide insights into the important role of bacteria in metabolism of silver carp that facilitated invasion of this exotic species. Microbial composition in foregut, midgut, hindgut and water samples was analysed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The bacterial communities of water samples were distinct from gut microbiota, and unique microbial assemblages were present in different regions of gut depicting profound impact of gut environment on microflora. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phyla across all samples. Ecological network analysis showed dominance of competitive interactions within posteriors region of the gut, promoting niche specialization. Predictive functional profiling revealed the microbiota specialized in digestive functions in different regions of the gut, which also reflects the dietary profile of silver carp.     

肠道微生物培养的研究进展及应用

肠道中栖居着组成复杂、功能多样的微生物群,这些微生物群在宿主免疫、营养吸收、代谢调节等方面发挥着重要作用。随着测序技术的快速发展,肠道微生物研究通过16S rRNA基因测序和宏基因组测序产生了大量的数据,其中许多未组装的序列成为微生物“暗物质”。近年来,不少研究利用多种不同微生物分离培养方法,结合高通量鉴定技术,从人、小鼠、猪肠道中分离了大量的微生物,丰富了菌株资源,为解析微生物“暗物质”以及后续肠道微生物功能和应用研究提供了基础和保障。尽管微生物的可培养性受到多种因素的影响,大部分微生物尚处于“未培养”的状态,但无论是病因研究还是生理和遗传特征的解析都离不开微生物实体资源的获取。肠道微生物的分离培养对微生物研究从关联分析向菌群功能验证、因果机制解析和功能菌株开发的深入研究具有重要意义。本文旨在探讨和综述影响微生物可培养性的因素,总结回顾肠道微生物的培养方法并阐述肠道微生物培养研究的进展,以期为肠道微生物培养研究提供新的视角。     

Assessing the Fecal Microbiota: An Optimized Ion Torrent 16S rRNA Gene-Based Analysis Protocol

Assessing the distribution of 16S rRNA gene sequences within a biological sample represents the current state-of-the-art for determination of human gut microbiota composition. Advances in dissecting the microbial biodiversity of this ecosystem have very much been dependent on the development of novel high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies, like the Ion Torrent. However, the precise representation of this bacterial community may be affected by the protocols used for DNA extraction as well as by the PCR primers employed in the amplification reaction. Here, we describe an optimized protocol for 16S rRNA gene-based profiling of the fecal microbiota.     

The diversity and function of intestinal microorganisms in four geographic Cephalcia chuxiongica (a pine defoliator) populations

Symbiotic microbiomes play important roles in hosts’ adaptation and evolution. Here, the gut bacterial communities in Cephalcia chuxiongica, a key pest of pines in China, were studied for the first time by using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The composition of gut bacterial communities differed in different C. chuxiongica geographic populations but interestingly, the phylogeny and diversity of gut microbiota correlated with host geographic/genetic distance, that is the microbiota was more similar as the geographic/genetic distance decreased, and vice versa. The various microbes performed similar functions and showed functional complementation, in which most of identified KEGG pathways were shared by different populations with metabolism being the most dominant functional pathway and the function of major microbes associated with host dietary specialization (pine needles), such as cellulose degradation. In addition, some microbes also associated with host biological characteristics, such as Wolbachia with parthenogenesis and Serratia with the long-term larval diapause in C. chuxiongica. Therefore, the synergy of environmental and host factors shapes the structure of gut microbiota and gut microbiota play essential roles in host physiology and adaptation, suggesting some kind of symbiosis and coevolution. These results demonstrate the important contribution of gut microbiota and provide a sound foundation for developing control strategies for this pest.     

Metaproteomics Analysis Reveals the Adaptation Process for the Chicken Gut Microbiota

The animal gastrointestinal tract houses a large microbial community, the gut microbiota, that confers many benefits to its host, such as protection from pathogens and provision of essential metabolites. Metagenomic approaches have defined the chicken fecal microbiota in other studies, but here, we wished to assess the correlation between the metagenome and the bacterial proteome in order to better understand the healthy chicken gut microbiota. Here, we performed high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and metaproteomics analysis of fecal samples to determine microbial gut composition and protein expression. 16 rRNA gene sequencing analysis identified Clostridiales, Bacteroidaceae, and Lactobacillaceae species as the most abundant species in the gut. For metaproteomics analysis, peptides were generated by using the Fasp method and subsequently fractionated by strong anion exchanges. Metaproteomics analysis identified 3,673 proteins. Among the most frequently identified proteins, 380 proteins belonged to Lactobacillus spp., 155 belonged to Clostridium spp., and 66 belonged to Streptococcus spp. The most frequently identified proteins were heat shock chaperones, including 349 GroEL proteins, from many bacterial species, whereas the most abundant enzymes were pyruvate kinases, as judged by the number of peptides identified per protein (spectral counting). Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses revealed the functions and locations of the identified proteins. The findings of both metaproteomics and 16S rRNA sequencing analyses are discussed.     

Fecal microbial diversity in a strict vegetarian as determined by molecular analysis and cultivation

Fecal microbial diversity in a strictly vegetarian woman was determined by the 16S rDNA library method, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and a culture-based method. The 16S rDNA library was generated from extracted fecal DNA, using bacteria-specific primers. Randomly selected clones were partially sequenced. T-RFLP analysis was performed using amplified 16S rDNA. The lengths of T-RF were analyzed after digestion by HhaI and MspI. The cultivated bacterial isolates were used for partial sequencing of 16S rDNA. Among 183 clones obtained, approximately 29% of the clones belonged to 13 known species. About 71% of the remaining clones were novel "phylotypes" (at least 98% similarity of clone sequence). A total of 55 species or phylotypes were identified among the 16S rDNA library, while the cultivated isolates included 22 species or phylotypes. In addition, many new phylotypes were detected from the 16S rDNA library. The 16S rDNA library and isolates commonly included the Bacteroides group, Bifidobacterium group, and Clostridium rRNA clusters IV, XIVa, XVI and XVIII. T-RFLP analysis revealed the major composition of the vegetarian gut microbiota were Clostridium rRNA subcluster XIVa and Clostridium rRNA cluster XVIII. The dominant feature of this strictly vegetarian gut microbiota was the detection of many Clostridium rRNA subcluster XIVa and C. ramosum (Clostridium rRNA cluster XVIII).     

Molecular monitoring of the intestinal flora by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography

Gut flora analysis is hampered by the complexity of the intestinal microbiota and by inherent limitations of culture-based approaches. Therefore, culture-independent molecular methods based upon 16S rRNA gene analysis were applied successfully for the analysis of complex microbial communities. However, generally accepted and validated profiling methods such as denaturing and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE/TGGE) are still laborious and time consuming. Thus, we adapted the separation of amplified bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) using the WAVE Microbial Analysis System as a rapid and convenient means to display complex intestinal bacterial communities and to monitor changes in the gut flora. The separation of 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified from reference strains representing main gut bacterial populations and from human stool samples revealed that DHPLC analysis effectively detects bacterial groups predominant in the human gut flora. The investigation of faecal samples from hospitalized patients before, during and after antibiotic therapy showed that PCR-based DHPLC can be used to monitor gut flora changes. Results from DHPLC analysis were comparable with DGGE profiles generated from the same samples, demonstrating that the adapted DHPLC protocol is well suited for the analysis of complex microbial communities.     

Beyond purified dietary fibre supplements: Compositional variation between cell wall fibre from different plants influences human faecal microbiota activity and growth in vitro

Dietary fibre is a major energy source for the human gut microbiota, but it is unclear to what extent the fibre source and complexity affect microbial growth and metabolite production. Cell wall material and pectin were extracted from five different dicotyledon plant sources, apples, beet leaves, beetroots, carrots and kale, and compositional analysis revealed differences in the monosaccharide composition. Human faecal batch incubations were conducted with 14 different substrates, including the plant extracts, wheat bran and commercially available carbohydrates. Microbial activity was determined for up to 72 h by measuring gas and fermentation acid production, total bacteria (by qPCR) and microbial community composition by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The more complex substrates gave rise to more microbiota variation compared with the pectins. The comparison of different plant organs showed that the leaves (beet leaf and kale) and roots (carrot and beetroot) did not give rise to similar bacterial communities. Rather, the compositional features of the plants, such as high arabinan levels in beet and high galactan levels in carrot, appear to be major predictors of bacterial enrichment on the substrates. Thus, in-depth knowledge on dietary fibre composition should aid the design of diets focused on optimizing the microbiota.