The inconstant gut microbiota of Drosophila species revealed by 16S rRNA gene analysis

The gut microorganisms in some animals are reported to include a core microbiota of consistently associated bacteria that is ecologically distinctive and may have coevolved with the host. The core microbiota is promoted by positive interactions among bacteria, favoring shared persistence; its retention over evolutionary timescales is evident as congruence between host phylogeny and bacterial community composition. This study applied multiple analyses to investigate variation in the composition of gut microbiota in drosophilid flies. First, the prevalence of five previously described gut bacteria (Acetobacter and Lactobacillus species) in individual flies of 21 strains (10 Drosophila species) were determined. Most bacteria were not present in all individuals of most strains, and bacterial species pairs co-occurred in individual flies less frequently than predicted by chance, contrary to expectations of a core microbiota. A complementary pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from the gut microbiota of 11 Drosophila species identified 209 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with near-saturating sampling of sequences, but none of the OTUs was common to all host species. Furthermore, in both of two independent sets of Drosophila species, the gut bacterial community composition was not congruent with host phylogeny. The final analysis identified no common OTUs across three wild and four laboratory samples of D. melanogaster. Our results yielded no consistent evidence for a core microbiota in Drosophila. We conclude that the taxonomic composition of gut microbiota varies widely within and among Drosophila populations and species. This is reminiscent of the patterns of bacterial composition in guts of some other animals, including humans.     

中国北部湾光裸方格星虫可培养微生物的分离鉴定及其活性代谢物产生菌筛选

【目的】本研究从北部湾海域光裸方格星虫(Sipunculus nudus)肠道中分离鉴定可培养微生物,并对筛选菌株的代谢物活性进行研究,为后续开发和利用光裸方格星虫肠道微生物代谢产物提供理论支持。【方法】通过微生物培养、菌株分离纯化和16S rRNA基因序列分析,分析鉴定湛江、北海、防城港三地光裸方格星虫肠道可培养微生物;采用透明圈法、可见分光光度法、平板打孔法等对产胞外活性代谢物的菌株进行筛选和活性分析。【结果】中国北部湾不同海域光裸方格星虫肠道可培养微生物包括弧菌属(Vibrio)、希瓦氏菌属(Shewanella)、假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas)、发光杆菌属(Photobacterium)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)等12个细菌属。弧菌属(Vibrio)是3个地区样本共有的优势菌群。具有产胞外水解蛋白酶、壳聚糖酶、多糖以及抑菌活性等能力的菌株主要来自假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas)、发光杆菌属(Photobacterium)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)。【结论】中国北部湾不同海域光裸方格星虫肠道可培养微生物在属的种类上存在显著性差异,且光裸方格星虫肠道菌株具有产生多种胞外活性代谢物的能力,是一种良好的海洋活性代谢物来源。     

Host genetic variation impacts microbiome composition across human body sites

BackgroundThe composition of bacteria in and on the human body varies widely across human individuals, and has been associated with multiple health conditions. While microbial communities are influenced by environmental factors, some degree of genetic influence of the host on the microbiome is also expected. This study is part of an expanding effort to comprehensively profile the interactions between human genetic variation and the composition of this microbial ecosystem on a genome- and microbiome-wide scale.ResultsHere, we jointly analyze the composition of the human microbiome and host genetic variation. By mining the shotgun metagenomic data from the Human Microbiome Project for host DNA reads, we gathered information on host genetic variation for 93 individuals for whom bacterial abundance data are also available. Using this dataset, we identify significant associations between host genetic variation and microbiome composition in 10 of the 15 body sites tested. These associations are driven by host genetic variation in immunity-related pathways, and are especially enriched in host genes that have been previously associated with microbiome-related complex diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity-related disorders. Lastly, we show that host genomic regions associated with the microbiome have high levels of genetic differentiation among human populations, possibly indicating host genomic adaptation to environment-specific microbiomes.ConclusionsOur results highlight the role of host genetic variation in shaping the composition of the human microbiome, and provide a starting point toward understanding the complex interaction between human genetics and the microbiome in the context of human evolution and disease.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0759-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

杜比亚蟑螂肠道菌的分离鉴定及产消化酶功能菌株的筛选

【背景】杜比亚蟑螂(Blaptica dubia)可用于活体饲料、化妆品和医药保健品的生产,其肠道菌的研究对杜比亚蟑螂的饲养和肠道菌资源的开发与利用都十分重要。【目的】揭示杜比亚蟑螂肠道可培养菌的种类,筛选具有产消化酶功能的菌株,为理解肠道菌对宿主的影响机理及功能菌株的利用提供科学依据和研究材料。【方法】采用体外培养法获得杜比亚蟑螂肠道菌,结合形态学和分子生物学方法进行鉴定;用水解圈法分别筛选产纤维素酶、蛋白酶、脂肪酶和淀粉酶菌株。【结果】在杜比亚蟑螂肠道中共分离出4属7种细菌,其中芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)2种,沙雷氏菌属(Serratia)和柠檬酸杆菌属(Citrobacter)各2种,肠球菌属(Enterococcus)1种。从获得的20个菌株中筛选出10个具有产消化酶功能的菌株。其中,芽孢杆菌属的菌株D6、D12和D20具有产纤维素酶、蛋白酶、淀粉酶及脂肪酶4种消化酶的功能;沙雷氏菌属的菌株D3、D7、D9、D11和D15具有产纤维素酶、蛋白酶和脂肪酶3种消化酶的能力;柠檬酸杆菌属的菌株D5具有产纤维素酶的功能;肠球菌属的菌株D17具有产蛋白酶的能力。【结论】杜比亚蟑螂肠道多种细菌具有产消化酶帮助降解大分子营养物质的功能,可通过协助食物消化影响宿主健康。菌株D12、D7和D11分别具有最强产纤维素酶、蛋白酶和脂肪酶的能力,是可进一步开发利用的肠道功能菌株资源。     

白马雪山云南黄芪与灰毛康定黄芪根际微生物物种多样性及抗生物膜活性菌株筛选

【背景】细菌生物膜是造成病原菌耐药性增强和持续感染的主要因素,但目前尚无针对抗菌膜的特效药物。特境植物根际微生物可产生大量具有提高宿主免疫功能的活性成分,极具抗生物膜药源开发潜力。【目的】了解滇西北高寒特境白马雪山分布的云南黄芪与灰毛康定黄芪植物根际微生物的物种多样性,并对可培养菌株进行抑菌与抗生物膜活性筛选。【方法】采用宏基因组技术结合传统微生物培养方法,对采自我国云南迪庆藏族自治州德钦县白马雪山的云南黄芪与灰毛康定黄芪的根际微生物进行物种多样性研究,并通过“孔板法”测定其可培养菌株发酵液乙酸乙酯粗浸膏的抗菌、抗生物膜活性。【结果】宏基因组测序结果显示,云南黄芪根际土壤样本中的微生物来自6门7纲8目8科9属10种,其中栖热菌属为优势菌群;灰毛康定黄芪根际土壤样本中的微生物来自6门8纲10目11科14属15种,其中慢生根瘤菌属为优势菌群。通过纯培养共获得145株可培养菌株,包括112株细菌和33株真菌。其中,云南黄芪根际细菌59株,共计16属35种,优势属为假单胞菌属和链霉菌属;根际真菌19株,共计4属5种,优势属为曲霉属;灰毛康定黄芪根际细菌53株,归属于16属29种,优势属为芽孢杆菌属与寡养单胞菌属;根际真菌14株,归属于3属4种,优势属为曲霉属。从不同种水平上选择51株细菌和7株真菌为代表菌株进行抗生素药源评估,发现5株细菌及1株真菌发酵液的乙酸乙酯粗浸膏具有中等至较强的抗革兰阳性菌活性,而且其中4株具有抗MRSA生物膜活性,最终确定了链霉属放线菌Streptomyces fulvissimus KTA1和曲霉属真菌Aspergillus fumigatus YNF5为潜力活性菌株。【结论】首次报道了滇西北地区高寒特境黄芪属植物根际微生物具有较好的物种多样性,而且具有一定的抗生素药用资源开发潜力。本研究对滇西北高寒特境特色植物来源的微生物资源开发利用与保护具有重要的借鉴意义。     

马蜂肠道菌的分离鉴定及产消化酶功能菌株的筛选

【背景】马蜂(Vespa mandarinia Smith)可以防治多种田间害虫,还具有药用价值,其肠道菌群结构和功能还有待研究。【目的】获得马蜂肠道可培养细菌并筛选出具有产消化酶功能的菌株,为理解肠道菌对宿主的影响机理及功能菌株的利用提供科学依据和研究材料。【方法】采用传统细菌分离培养法获得马蜂肠道菌,结合形态学以及16S rRNA基因序列分析进行鉴定;利用水解圈法分别筛选产蛋白酶、脂肪酶、淀粉酶和纤维素酶菌株;通过测量水解圈D与菌落直径d的比值,比较不同细菌的产酶能力。【结果】在马蜂肠道中共分离出6属10种细菌,其中芽孢杆菌属5种,肠球菌属、葡萄球菌属、明串珠菌属、乳球菌属和不动杆菌属各1种。从获得的61个菌株中筛选出6个具有产消化酶功能的菌株。其中,苏云金芽孢杆菌V44具有产蛋白酶、淀粉酶、脂肪酶和纤维素酶4种消化酶的能力;粪肠球菌V6具有产淀粉酶、蛋白酶和脂肪酶3种消化酶的能力;蜡样芽孢杆菌V43具有产蛋白酶、淀粉酶和纤维素酶3种消化酶的能力;粪肠球菌V20、蜡样芽孢杆菌V19和维德曼氏芽孢杆菌V22均具有产蛋白酶的能力。【结论】马蜂肠道细菌资源较丰富,部分有产消化酶的功能,可帮助马蜂消化食物,对宿主健康有一定影响。本研究筛选的6个菌株都能产蛋白酶,其中菌株V43和V44分别具有最强产淀粉酶和脂肪酶的能力,是可进一步开发利用的肠道功能菌株资源。     

伊犁河流域春季可培养细菌多样性及其胞外酶检测

利用可培养法对新疆伊犁河流域水体和沉积物中细菌多样性进行分析，以期初步阐明流域河流可培养细菌群落结构。采用5种琼脂培养基分离纯化可培养细菌，依据其16S rRNA基因序列进行系统发育分析，并运用平板法对纯化菌株的胞外酶产生情况进行检测。序列分析结果表明，225株细菌分别属于变形菌门γ亚群(Gamma-pseudomonadota, 56.44%)、放线菌门(Actinomycetota, 18.22%)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes, 14.22%)、变形菌门α亚群(Alpha-pseudomonadota, 4.89%)、变形菌门β亚群(Beta-pseudomonadota, 4%)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidota, 0.44%)和异常球菌-栖热菌门(Deinococcota, 0.44%)等7个大的系统发育类群，41个属84个种。其中假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas,42.22%)、不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter,9.33%)和芽胞杆菌属(Bacillus,9.33%)为优势菌属。菌种分布结果显示，伊犁河流域主要支流和干流中可培养细菌地域分布性强。分离菌株产胞外酶...     

Comparative analysis of CRISPR cassettes from the human gut metagenomic contigs

Background

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a prokaryotic adaptive defence system that provides resistance against alien replicons such as viruses and plasmids. Spacers in a CRISPR cassette confer immunity against viruses and plasmids containing regions complementary to the spacers and hence they retain a footprint of interactions between prokaryotes and their viruses in individual strains and ecosystems. The human gut is a rich habitat populated by numerous microorganisms, but a large fraction of these are unculturable and little is known about them in general and their CRISPR systems in particular.

Results

We used human gut metagenomic data from three open projects in order to characterize the composition and dynamics of CRISPR cassettes in the human-associated microbiota. Applying available CRISPR-identification algorithms and a previously designed filtering procedure to the assembled human gut metagenomic contigs, we found 388 CRISPR cassettes, 373 of which had repeats not observed previously in complete genomes or other datasets. Only 171 of 3,545 identified spacers were coupled with protospacers from the human gut metagenomic contigs. The number of matches to GenBank sequences was negligible, providing protospacers for 26 spacers.Reconstruction of CRISPR cassettes allowed us to track the dynamics of spacer content. In agreement with other published observations we show that spacers shared by different cassettes (and hence likely older ones) tend to the trailer ends, whereas spacers with matches in the metagenomes are distributed unevenly across cassettes, demonstrating a preference to form clusters closer to the active end of a CRISPR cassette, adjacent to the leader, and hence suggesting dynamical interactions between prokaryotes and viruses in the human gut. Remarkably, spacers match protospacers in the metagenome of the same individual with frequency comparable to a random control, but may match protospacers from metagenomes of other individuals.

Conclusions

The analysis of assembled contigs is complementary to the approach based on the analysis of original reads and hence provides additional data about composition and evolution of CRISPR cassettes, revealing the dynamics of CRISPR-phage interactions in metagenomes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-202) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Diversity and composition of cultivable gut bacteria in an endemic island bird and its mainland sister species

The study of island biodiversity has inspired many advances in evolutionary biology. However, whether patterns of microorganism diversity are influenced by insularity is poorly understood. In particular, microorganisms that live in symbiotic association, such as the microbiota that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of bigger animals, are subjected to demographic and coevolutionary processes that may add complexity to the common expectation of impoverished diversity on oceanic islands. Here, we explore this topic by studying the cultivable gut bacteria of two sister species of birds, from São Tomé island and nearby mainland Gabon, the endemic São Tomé thrush Turdus olivaceofuscus and the African thrush Turdus pelios. We found no differences in the diversity of cultivable gut bacteria between these thrushes, suggesting that, unlike what is commonly found for macrofauna, insularity might not represent a strong constraint for gut bacterial diversity. Although further research on complete gut bacterial communities and a broader range of species and areas is needed, our initial results suggest that the cultivable gut microbial community may bypass the diversity loss associated with island colonization. This could arise from intrinsic factors such as their large population sizes within hosts and low rates of extinction. Furthermore, as gut communities are composed mainly by mutualistic bacteria, diversifying selection (against an impoverished bacterial community), may counteract the diversity loss brought about by the stochastic and demographic effects of the founder process.     

Strain diversity and host specificity in a specialized gut symbiont of honeybees and bumblebees

Host‐restricted lineages of gut bacteria often include many closely related strains, but this fine‐scale diversity is rarely investigated. The specialized gut symbiont Snodgrassella alvi has codiversified with honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus) for millions of years. Snodgrassella alvi strains are nearly identical for 16S rRNA gene sequences but have distinct gene repertoires potentially affecting host biology and community interactions. We examined S. alvi strain diversity within and between hosts using deep sequencing both of a single‐copy coding gene (minD) and of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. We sampled workers from domestic and feral A. mellifera colonies and wild‐caught Bombus representing 14 species. Conventional analyses of community profiles, based on the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, failed to expose most strain variation. In contrast, the minD analysis revealed extensive strain variation within and between host species and individuals. Snodgrassella alvi strain diversity is significantly higher in A. mellifera than in Bombus, supporting the hypothesis that colony founding by swarms of workers enables retention of more diversity than colony founding by a single queen. Most Bombus individuals (72%) are dominated by a single S. alvi strain, whereas most A. mellifera (86%) possess multiple strains. No S. alvi strains are shared between A. mellifera and Bombus, indicating some host specificity. Among Bombus‐restricted strains, some are restricted to a single host species or subgenus, while others occur in multiple subgenera. Findings demonstrate that strains diversify both within and between host species and can be highly specific or relatively generalized in their host associations.     

Hidden Diversity in Honey Bee Gut Symbionts Detected by Single-Cell Genomics

Microbial communities in animal guts are composed of diverse, specialized bacterial species, but little is known about how gut bacteria diversify to produce genetically and ecologically distinct entities. The gut microbiota of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, presents a useful model, because it consists of a small number of characteristic bacterial species, each showing signs of diversification. Here, we used single-cell genomics to study the variation within two species of the bee gut microbiota: Gilliamella apicola and Snodgrassella alvi. For both species, our analyses revealed extensive variation in intraspecific divergence of protein-coding genes but uniformly high levels of 16S rRNA similarity. In both species, the divergence of 16S rRNA loci appears to have been curtailed by frequent recombination within populations, while other genomic regions have continuously diverged. Furthermore, gene repertoires differ markedly among strains in both species, implying distinct metabolic capabilities. Our results show that, despite minimal divergence at 16S rRNA genes, in situ diversification occurs within gut communities and generates bacterial lineages with distinct ecological niches. Therefore, important dimensions of microbial diversity are not evident from analyses of 16S rRNA, and single cell genomics has potential to elucidate processes of bacterial diversification.     

高寒特境中甸黄芪植物根际微生物物种多样性及其抗生物膜活性成分

滇西北高寒地区分布着丰富的黄芪属植物资源，该属植物“根际效应”明显，其根际微生物极具抗菌药用资源研究价值。【目的】认知滇西北高寒特境中甸黄芪根际微生物的物种多样性，探究其可培养菌株次生代谢产物的化学多样性及抗菌、抗生物膜活性。【方法】采用宏基因组和微生物纯培养方法对中甸黄芪植物根际微生物进行物种多样性分析，同时采用高效液相色谱（high performance liquid chromatography，HPLC）、超高效液相色谱-质谱联用法（ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry，UPLC-MS）结合“微量肉汤稀释法” “孔板法”等多级联合筛选策略综合评估可培养菌株的抗菌活性药源研究价值。【结果】对中甸黄芪根际土壤样本的微生物分类操作单元（operational taxonomic units，OTU）进行分类注释，得到22门54纲105目187科316属856种微生物，其中优势菌群为慢生根瘤菌属。纯培养共获得27属54种95株可培养菌株，包括20属33种54株细菌和7属21种41株真菌，优势属分别为芽孢杆菌属和青霉属。其中，1株细菌Pseudomonas tolaasii ZTB4和3株真菌Aspergillus tabacinus ZNF17、Lecanicillium aphanocladii ZNF15、Umbelopsis nana ZTF31的次生代谢产物具有广谱抗菌活性。同时，菌株ZTB4和ZNF17的次生代谢产物也显示出优秀的抗耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus，MRSA）生物膜活性，并已验证这2株菌株的主要活性成分分别为环脂肽类与黄酮类。【结论】中甸黄芪植物根际微生物物种多样性较为丰富，其可培养菌株次生代谢产物有较好的化学多样性和抗菌、抗生物膜活性。研究结果为我国特境特色微生物药用资源的开发利用提供理论依据。     

Comparative metagenomics revealed commonly enriched gene sets in human gut microbiomes.

Numerous microbes inhabit the human intestine, many of which are uncharacterized or uncultivable. They form a complex microbial community that deeply affects human physiology. To identify the genomic features common to all human gut microbiomes as well as those variable among them, we performed a large-scale comparative metagenomic analysis of fecal samples from 13 healthy individuals of various ages, including unweaned infants. We found that, while the gut microbiota from unweaned infants were simple and showed a high inter-individual variation in taxonomic and gene composition, those from adults and weaned children were more complex but showed a high functional uniformity regardless of age or sex. In searching for the genes over-represented in gut microbiomes, we identified 237 gene families commonly enriched in adult-type and 136 families in infant-type microbiomes, with a small overlap. An analysis of their predicted functions revealed various strategies employed by each type of microbiota to adapt to its intestinal environment, suggesting that these gene sets encode the core functions of adult and infant-type gut microbiota. By analysing the orphan genes, 647 new gene families were identified to be exclusively present in human intestinal microbiomes. In addition, we discovered a conjugative transposon family explosively amplified in human gut microbiomes, which strongly suggests that the intestine is a 'hot spot' for horizontal gene transfer between microbes.     

Genetic diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> in gut microbiota of patients with Crohn’s disease discovered using metagenomic and genomic analyses

Background

Crohn’s disease is associated with gut dysbiosis. Independent studies have shown an increase in the abundance of certain bacterial species, particularly Escherichia coli with the adherent-invasive pathotype, in the gut. The role of these species in this disease needs to be elucidated.

Methods

We performed a metagenomic study investigating the gut microbiota of patients with Crohn’s disease. A metagenomic reconstruction of the consensus genome content of the species was used to assess the genetic variability.

Results

The abnormal shifts in the microbial community structures in Crohn’s disease were heterogeneous among the patients. The metagenomic data suggested the existence of multiple E. coli strains within individual patients. We discovered that the genetic diversity of the species was high and that only a few samples manifested similarity to the adherent-invasive varieties. The other species demonstrated genetic diversity comparable to that observed in the healthy subjects. Our results were supported by a comparison of the sequenced genomes of isolates from the same microbiota samples and a meta-analysis of published gut metagenomes.

Conclusions

The genomic diversity of Crohn’s disease-associated E. coli within and among the patients paves the way towards an understanding of the microbial mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of the Crohn’s disease and the development of new strategies for the prevention and treatment of this disease.

     

The Intestinal Bacterial Community in the Food Waste-Reducing Larvae of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hermetia illucens</Emphasis>

As it is known that food waste can be reduced by the larvae of Hermetia illucens (Black soldier fly, BSF), the scientific and commercial value of BSF larvae has increased recently. We hypothesised that the ability of catabolic degradation by BSF larvae might be due to intestinal microorganisms. Herein, we analysed the bacterial communities in the gut of BSF larvae by pyrosequencing of extracting intestinal metagenomic DNA from larvae that had been fed three different diets. The 16S rRNA sequencing results produced 9737, 9723 and 5985 PCR products from larval samples fed food waste, cooked rice and calf forage, respectively. A BLAST search using the EzTaxon program showed that the bacterial community in the gut of larvae fed three different diets was mainly composed of the four phyla with dissimilar proportions. Although the composition of the bacterial communities depended on the different nutrient sources, the identified bacterial strains in the gut of BSF larvae represented unique bacterial species that were unlike the intestinal microflora of other insects. Thus, our study analysed the structure of the bacterial communities in the gut of BSF larvae after three different feedings and assessed the application of particular bacteria for the efficient degradation of organic compounds.     

Bacterial Community and Nitrogen Fixation in the Red Turpentine Beetle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendroctonus valens</Emphasis> LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

The red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), colonizes all pines species within its native range throughout North and Central America. Recently, this species was accidentally introduced to China, where it has caused severe damage in pine forests. It belongs to a group of beetles that spend most of their lives between the tree bark and sapwood, where it feeds on phloem: a poor substrate with very low nutritional value of nitrogen and toxic properties due to its high content of secondary defensive compounds. The aim of this study was to characterize the bacterial community of the D. valens gut by culture-dependent and -independent methods. Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and ribosomal gene library analyses revealed that species diversity in the D. valens gut was relatively low, containing between six and 17 bacterial species. The bacterial community associated with larvae and adults was dominated by members of the following genera: Lactococcus, Acinetobacter, Pantoea, Rahnella, Stenothrophomonas, Erwinia, Enterobacter, Serratia, Janibacter, Leifsonia, Cellulomonas, and Cellulosimicrobium. The members of the last four genera showed cellulolytic activity in vitro and could be involved in cellulose breakdown in the insect gut. Finally, nitrogen fixation was demonstrated in live larvae and adults; however, capacity of nitrogen fixing in vitro was not found among enterobacterial species isolated in nitrogen-free media; neither were nifD nor nifH genes detected. In contrast, nifD gen was detected in metagenomic DNA from insect guts. The identification of bacterial species and their potential physiological capacities will allow exploring the role of gut symbiotic bacteria in the adaptation and survival of D. valens in a harsh chemical habitat poor in nitrogen sources.     

Extensive intra-phylotype diversity in lactobacilli and bifidobacteria from the honeybee gut

Background

In the honeybee Apis mellifera, the bacterial gut community is consistently colonized by eight distinct phylotypes of bacteria. Managed bee colonies are of considerable economic interest and it is therefore important to elucidate the diversity and role of this microbiota in the honeybee. In this study, we have sequenced the genomes of eleven strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria isolated from the honey crop of the honeybee A. mellifera.

Results

Single gene phylogenies confirmed that the isolated strains represent the diversity of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the gut, as previously identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Core genome phylogenies of the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria further indicated extensive divergence between strains classified as the same phylotype. Phylotype-specific protein families included unique surface proteins. Within phylotypes, we found a remarkably high level of gene content diversity. Carbohydrate metabolism and transport functions contributed up to 45% of the accessory genes, with some genomes having a higher content of genes encoding phosphotransferase systems for the uptake of carbohydrates than any previously sequenced genome. These genes were often located in highly variable genomic segments that also contained genes for enzymes involved in the degradation and modification of sugar residues. Strain-specific gene clusters for the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides were identified in two phylotypes. The dynamics of these segments contrasted with low recombination frequencies and conserved gene order structures for the core genes. Hits for CRISPR spacers were almost exclusively found within phylotypes, suggesting that the phylotypes are associated with distinct phage populations.

Conclusions

The honeybee gut microbiota has been described as consisting of a modest number of phylotypes; however, the genomes sequenced in the current study demonstrated a very high level of gene content diversity within all three described phylotypes of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, particularly in terms of metabolic functions and surface structures, where many features were strain-specific. Together, these results indicate niche differentiation within phylotypes, suggesting that the honeybee gut microbiota is more complex than previously thought.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1476-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Bifidobacteria Abundance-Featured Gut Microbiota Compositional Change in Patients with Behcet’s Disease

Gut microbiota compositional alteration may have an association with immune dysfunction in patients with Behcet’s disease (BD). We conducted a fecal metagenomic analysis of BD patients. We analyzed fecal microbiota obtained from 12 patients with BD and 12 normal individuals by sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene. We compared the relative abundance of bacterial taxa. Direct comparison of the relative abundance of bacterial taxa demonstrated that the genera Bifidobacterium and Eggerthella increased significantly and the genera Megamonas and Prevotella decreased significantly in BD patients compared with normal individuals. A linear discriminant analysis of bacterial taxa showed that the phylum Actinobacteria, including Bifidobacterium, and the family Lactobacillaceae exhibited larger positive effect sizes than other bacteria in patients with BD. The phylum Firmicutes and the class Clostridia had large effect sizes in normal individuals. There was no significant difference in annotated species numbers (as numbers of operational taxonomic unit; OTU) and bacterial diversity of each sample (alpha diversity) between BD patients and normal individuals. We next assigned each sample to a position using three axes by principal coordinates analysis of the OTU table. The two groups had a significant distance as beta diversity in the 3-axis space. Fecal sIgA concentrations increased significantly in BD patients but did not correlate with any bacterial taxonomic abundance. These data suggest that the compositional changes of gut microbes may be one type of dysbiosis (unfavorable microbiota alteration) in patients with BD. The dysbiosis may have an association with the pathophysiology of BD.     

Average genome size estimation improves comparative metagenomics and sheds light on the functional ecology of the human microbiome

Average genome size is an important, yet often overlooked, property of microbial communities. We developed MicrobeCensus to rapidly and accurately estimate average genome size from shotgun metagenomic data and applied our tool to 1,352 human microbiome samples. We found that average genome size differs significantly within and between body sites and tracks with major functional and taxonomic differences. In the gut, average genome size is positively correlated with the abundance of Bacteroides and genes related to carbohydrate metabolism. Importantly, we found that average genome size variation can bias comparative analyses, and that normalization improves detection of differentially abundant genes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0611-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

不同降压过程对深海海水中可培养细菌群落组成的影响

【目的】控制不同的压力变化过程,比较对深海水样中可培养细菌组成的影响,探讨马里亚纳海沟深海水样中可培养细菌在不同降压处理过程下的丰度变化和群落组成。【方法】利用保压技术采集无污染、深度6001 m的深海水样后,模拟缓慢降压和快速降压过程,通过2216E培养基及2216E加氧化三甲胺(TMAO)富集培养基,对分离得到的可培养菌株进行16S rRNA基因测序分析和丰度检测。【结果】通过缓慢降压和快速降压处理后,深海海水样品中可培养细菌的丰度和群落组成差异较大。其中,在缓慢降压处理的样品中,平均丰度约为190 CFU/mL,且种群组成单一,以Bacillus属为主(占总菌落数的96%);而快速降压处理的样品中,平均丰度约为437 CFU/mL,主要分布在4个属中:Bacillus (占总菌落数的27.8%)、Achromobacter (24.4%)、Microbacterium (34.4%)和Pseudomonas (13.7%)。值得一提的是,添加TMAO后,2种降压过程处理的样品中,可培养细菌的平均丰度均没有明显提升,但样品中的可培养细菌种类明显提升,部分种属的丰度也发生了明显的变化。此外,一些种属仅在特定的压力和底物存在的条件下出现。【结论】不同的降压方式能够影响深海海水中可培养细菌的丰度和群落组成,添加TMAO的富集实验表明可以增加分离到的细菌的种类,为下一步的深入研究提供良好的研究基础。