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Raulo A, Bürkner PC, Finerty GE, Dale J, Hanski E, English HM, Lamberth C, Firth JA, Coulson T, Knowles SCL. Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:972-985. [PMID: 38689017 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02381-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Gut microbes shape many aspects of organismal biology, yet how these key bacteria transmit among hosts in natural populations remains poorly understood. Recent work in mammals has emphasized either transmission through social contacts or indirect transmission through environmental contact, but the relative importance of different routes has not been directly assessed. Here we used a novel radio-frequency identification-based tracking system to collect long-term high-resolution data on social relationships, space use and microhabitat in a wild population of mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), while regularly characterizing their gut microbiota with 16S ribosomal RNA profiling. Through probabilistic modelling of the resulting data, we identify positive and statistically distinct signals of social and environmental transmission, captured by social networks and overlap in home ranges, respectively. Strikingly, microorganisms with distinct biological attributes drove these different transmission signals. While the social network effect on microbiota was driven by anaerobic bacteria, the effect of shared space was most influenced by aerotolerant spore-forming bacteria. These findings support the prediction that social contact is important for the transfer of microorganisms with low oxygen tolerance, while those that can tolerate oxygen or form spores may be able to transmit indirectly through the environment. Overall, these results suggest social and environmental transmission routes can spread biologically distinct members of the mammalian gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura Raulo
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | | | - Genevieve E Finerty
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Jarrah Dale
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Holly M English
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Curt Lamberth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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2
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Chen JZ, Kwong Z, Gerardo NM, Vega NM. Ecological drift during colonization drives within-host and between-host heterogeneity in an animal-associated symbiont. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002304. [PMID: 38662791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Specialized host-microbe symbioses canonically show greater diversity than expected from simple models, both at the population level and within individual hosts. To understand how this heterogeneity arises, we utilize the squash bug, Anasa tristis, and its bacterial symbionts in the genus Caballeronia. We modulate symbiont bottleneck size and inoculum composition during colonization to demonstrate the significance of ecological drift, the noisy fluctuations in community composition due to demographic stochasticity. Consistent with predictions from the neutral theory of biodiversity, we found that ecological drift alone can account for heterogeneity in symbiont community composition between hosts, even when 2 strains are nearly genetically identical. When acting on competing strains, ecological drift can maintain symbiont genetic diversity among different hosts by stochastically determining the dominant strain within each host. Finally, ecological drift mediates heterogeneity in isogenic symbiont populations even within a single host, along a consistent gradient running the anterior-posterior axis of the symbiotic organ. Our results demonstrate that symbiont population structure across scales does not necessarily require host-mediated selection, as it can emerge as a result of ecological drift acting on both isogenic and unrelated competitors. Our findings illuminate the processes that might affect symbiont transmission, coinfection, and population structure in nature, which can drive the evolution of host-microbe symbioses and microbe-microbe interactions within host-associated microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Z Chen
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Zeeyong Kwong
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Nicole M Gerardo
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Nic M Vega
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
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3
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González A, Fullaondo A, Odriozola A. Impact of evolution on lifestyle in microbiome. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2024; 111:149-198. [PMID: 38908899 DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2024.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
This chapter analyses the interaction between microbiota and humans from an evolutionary point of view. Long-term interactions between gut microbiota and host have been generated as a result of dietary choices through coevolutionary processes, where mutuality of advantage is essential. Likewise, the characteristics of the intestinal environment have made it possible to describe different intrahost evolutionary mechanisms affecting microbiota. For its part, the intestinal microbiota has been of great importance in the evolution of mammals, allowing the diversification of dietary niches, phenotypic plasticity and the selection of host phenotypes. Although the origin of the human intestinal microbial community is still not known with certainty, mother-offspring transmission plays a key role, and it seems that transmissibility between individuals in adulthood also has important implications. Finally, it should be noted that certain aspects inherent to modern lifestyle, including refined diets, antibiotic intake, exposure to air pollutants, microplastics, and stress, could negatively affect the diversity and composition of our gut microbiota. This chapter aims to combine current knowledge to provide a comprehensive view of the interaction between microbiota and humans throughout evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana González
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
| | - Asier Fullaondo
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Adrián Odriozola
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
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4
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Halhed A, Petrullo L, Boutin S, Dantzer B, McAdam A, Wu M, Cottenie K. Consistent spatial patterns in microbial taxa of red squirrel gut microbiomes. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2024; 16:e13209. [PMID: 37943285 PMCID: PMC10866585 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Gut microbiomes are diverse ecosystems whose drivers of variation remain largely unknown, especially in time and space. We analysed a dataset with over 900 red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) gut microbiome samples to identify the drivers of gut microbiome composition in this territorial rodent. The large-scale spatiotemporal replication in the data analysed was an essential component of understanding the assembly of these microbial communities. We identified that the spatial location of the sampled squirrels in their local environment is a key contributor to gut microbial community composition. The non-core gut microbiome (present in less than 75% of gut microbiome samples) had highly localised spatial patterns throughout different seasons and different study areas in the host squirrel population. The core gut microbiome, on the other hand, showed some spatial patterns, though fewer than in the non-core gut microbiome. Environmental transmission of microbiota is the likely contributor to the spatiotemporal distribution observed in the North American red squirrel gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Halhed
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphCanada
- Department of BiologyCarleton UniversityOttawaCanada
| | - Lauren Petrullo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonCanada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Andrew McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Martin Wu
- Department of BiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Karl Cottenie
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphCanada
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5
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Smutin D, Taldaev A, Lebedev E, Adonin L. Shotgun Metagenomics Reveals Minor Micro" bee"omes Diversity Defining Differences between Larvae and Pupae Brood Combs. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:741. [PMID: 38255816 PMCID: PMC10815634 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Bees represent not only a valuable asset in agriculture, but also serve as a model organism within contemporary microbiology. The metagenomic composition of the bee superorganism has been substantially characterized. Nevertheless, traditional cultural methods served as the approach to studying brood combs in the past. Indeed, the comb microbiome may contribute to determining larval caste differentiation and hive immunity. To further this understanding, we conducted a shotgun sequencing analysis of the brood comb microbiome. While we found certain similarities regarding species diversity, it exhibits significant differentiation from all previously described hive metagenomes. Many microbiome members maintain a relatively constant ratio, yet taxa with the highest abundance level tend to be ephemeral. More than 90% of classified metagenomes were Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli and Actinobacteria genetic signatures. Jaccard dissimilarity between samples based on bacteria genus classifications hesitate from 0.63 to 0.77, which for shotgun sequencing indicates a high consistency in bacterial composition. Concurrently, we identified antagonistic relationships between certain bacterial clusters. The presence of genes related to antibiotic synthesis and antibiotic resistance suggests potential mechanisms underlying the stability of comb microbiomes. Differences between pupal and larval combs emerge in the total metagenome, while taxa with the highest abundance remained consistent. All this suggests that a key role in the functioning of the comb microbiome is played by minor biodiversity, the function of which remains to be established experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniil Smutin
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen 625003, Russia
- Faculty of Information Technology and Programming, ITMO University, St. Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | - Amir Taldaev
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen 625003, Russia
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow 119121, Russia
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141700, Russia
| | - Egor Lebedev
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen 625003, Russia
| | - Leonid Adonin
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen 625003, Russia
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow 119121, Russia
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6
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Mazel F, Guisan A, Parfrey LW. Transmission mode and dispersal traits correlate with host specificity in mammalian gut microbes. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e16862. [PMID: 36786039 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Different host species associate with distinct gut microbes in mammals, a pattern sometimes referred to as phylosymbiosis. However, the processes shaping this host specificity are not well understood. One model proposes that barriers to microbial transmission promote specificity by limiting microbial dispersal between hosts. This model predicts that specificity levels measured across microbes is correlated to transmission mode (vertical vs. horizontal) and individual dispersal traits. Here, we leverage two large publicly available gut microbiota data sets (1490 samples from 195 host species) to test this prediction. We found that host specificity varies widely across bacteria (i.e., there are generalist and specialist bacteria) and depends on transmission mode and dispersal ability. Horizontally-like transmitted bacteria equipped with traits that facilitate switches between host (e.g., tolerance to oxygen) were found to be less specific (more generalist) than microbes without those traits, for example, vertically-like inherited bacteria that are intolerant to oxygen. Altogether, our findings are compatible with a model in which limited microbial dispersal abilities foster host specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Mazel
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laura Wegener Parfrey
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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7
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Leonhardt F, Keller A, Arranz Aveces C, Ernst R. From Alien Species to Alien Communities: Host- and Habitat-Associated Microbiomes in an Alien Amphibian. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:2373-2385. [PMID: 37233803 PMCID: PMC10640505 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02227-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Alien species can host diverse microbial communities. These associated microbiomes may be important in the invasion process and their analysis requires a holistic community-based approach. We analysed the skin and gut microbiome of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei from native range populations in St Lucia and exotic range populations in Guadeloupe, Colombia, and European greenhouses along with their respective environmental microbial reservoir through a 16S metabarcoding approach. We show that amphibian-associated and environmental microbial communities can be considered as meta-communities that interact in the assembly process. High proportions of bacteria can disperse between frogs and environment, while respective abundances are rather determined by niche effects driven by the microbial community source and spatial environmental properties. Environmental transmissions appeared to have higher relevance for skin than for gut microbiome composition and variation. We encourage further experimental studies to assess the implications of turnover in amphibian-associated microbial communities and potentially invasive microbiota in the context of invasion success and impacts. Within this novel framework of "nested invasions," (meta-)community ecology thinking can complement and widen the traditional perspective on biological invasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Leonhardt
- Faculty of Biology, Technical University of Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
- Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstraße 159, 01109, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Alexander Keller
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539, München, Germany
| | - Clara Arranz Aveces
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70173, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Raffael Ernst
- Faculty of Biology, Technical University of Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
- Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstraße 159, 01109, Dresden, Germany.
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8
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Xue KS, Walton SJ, Goldman DA, Morrison ML, Verster AJ, Parrott AB, Yu FB, Neff NF, Rosenberg NA, Ross BD, Petrov DA, Huang KC, Good BH, Relman DA. Prolonged delays in human microbiota transmission after a controlled antibiotic perturbation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559480. [PMID: 37808827 PMCID: PMC10557656 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Humans constantly encounter new microbes, but few become long-term residents of the adult gut microbiome. Classical theories predict that colonization is determined by the availability of open niches, but it remains unclear whether other ecological barriers limit commensal colonization in natural settings. To disentangle these effects, we used a controlled perturbation with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin to investigate the dynamics of gut microbiome transmission in 22 households of healthy, cohabiting adults. Colonization was rare in three-quarters of antibiotic-taking subjects, whose resident strains rapidly recovered in the week after antibiotics ended. In contrast, the remaining antibiotic-taking subjects exhibited lasting responses, with extensive species losses and transient expansions of potential opportunistic pathogens. These subjects experienced elevated rates of commensal colonization, but only after long delays: many new colonizers underwent sudden, correlated expansions months after the antibiotic perturbation. Furthermore, strains that had previously transmitted between cohabiting partners rarely recolonized after antibiotic disruptions, showing that colonization displays substantial historical contingency. This work demonstrates that there remain substantial ecological barriers to colonization even after major microbiome disruptions, suggesting that dispersal interactions and priority effects limit the pace of community change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Xue
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sophie Jean Walton
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Biophysics Training Program, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Doran A Goldman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Maike L Morrison
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Adrian J Verster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | | | | | - Norma F Neff
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Noah A Rosenberg
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Benjamin D Ross
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Dmitri A Petrov
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kerwyn Casey Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Benjamin H Good
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David A Relman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Infectious Diseases Section, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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9
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Rose C, Lund MB, Søgård AM, Busck MM, Bechsgaard JS, Schramm A, Bilde T. Social transmission of bacterial symbionts homogenizes the microbiome within and across generations of group-living spiders. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:60. [PMID: 37330540 PMCID: PMC10276852 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00256-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Disentangling modes and fidelity of symbiont transmission are key for understanding host-symbiont associations in wild populations. In group-living animals, social transmission may evolve to ensure high-fidelity transmission of symbionts, since non-reproducing helpers constitute a dead-end for vertical transmission. We investigated symbiont transmission in the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola, which lives in family groups where the majority of females are non-reproducing helpers, females feed offspring by regurgitation, and individuals feed communally on insect prey. Group members share temporally stable microbiomes across generations, while distinct variation in microbiome composition exists between groups. We hypothesized that horizontal transmission of symbionts is enhanced by social interactions, and investigated transmission routes within (horizontal) and across (vertical) generations using bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in three experiments: (i) individuals were sampled at all life stages to assess at which life stage the microbiome is acquired. (ii) a cross-fostering design was employed to test whether offspring carry the microbiome from their natal nest, or acquire the microbiome of the foster nest via social transmission. (iii) adult spiders with different microbiome compositions were mixed to assess whether social transmission homogenizes microbiome composition among group members. We demonstrate that offspring hatch symbiont-free, and bacterial symbionts are transmitted vertically across generations by social interactions with the onset of regurgitation feeding by (foster)mothers in an early life stage. Social transmission governs horizontal inter-individual mixing and homogenization of microbiome composition among nest mates. We conclude that temporally stable host-symbiont associations in social species can be facilitated and maintained by high-fidelity social transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence Rose
- Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Marie B Lund
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andrea M Søgård
- Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mette M Busck
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jesper S Bechsgaard
- Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andreas Schramm
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Trine Bilde
- Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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10
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Bogri A, Otani S, Aarestrup FM, Brinch C. Interplay between strain fitness and transmission frequency determines prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.981377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The steep rise of infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to antimicrobial agents threatens global health. However, the association between antimicrobial use and the prevalence of resistance is not straightforward. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the importance of additional factors that affect this relationship. We theoretically explore how the prevalence of resistance is affected by the combination of three factors: antimicrobial use, bacterial transmission, and fitness cost of resistance. We present a model that combines within-host, between-hosts and between-populations dynamics, built upon the competitive Lotka-Volterra equations. We developed the model in a manner that allows future experimental validation of the findings with single isolates in the laboratory. Each host may carry two strains (susceptible and resistant) that represent the host’s commensal microbiome and are not the target of the antimicrobial treatment. The model simulates a population of hosts who are treated periodically with antibiotics and transmit bacteria to each other. We show that bacterial transmission results in strain co-existence. Transmission disseminates resistant bacteria in the population, increasing the levels of resistance. Counterintuitively, when the cost of resistance is low, high transmission frequencies reduce resistance prevalence. Transmission between host populations leads to more similar resistance levels, increasing the susceptibility of the population with higher antimicrobial use. Overall, our results indicate that the interplay between bacterial transmission and strain fitness affects the prevalence of resistance in a non-linear way. We then place our results within the context of ecological theory, particularly on temporal niche partitioning and metapopulation rescue, and we formulate testable experimental predictions for future research.
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11
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Valles-Colomer M, Blanco-Míguez A, Manghi P, Asnicar F, Dubois L, Golzato D, Armanini F, Cumbo F, Huang KD, Manara S, Masetti G, Pinto F, Piperni E, Punčochář M, Ricci L, Zolfo M, Farrant O, Goncalves A, Selma-Royo M, Binetti AG, Becerra JE, Han B, Lusingu J, Amuasi J, Amoroso L, Visconti A, Steves CM, Falchi M, Filosi M, Tett A, Last A, Xu Q, Qin N, Qin H, May J, Eibach D, Corrias MV, Ponzoni M, Pasolli E, Spector TD, Domenici E, Collado MC, Segata N. The person-to-person transmission landscape of the gut and oral microbiomes. Nature 2023; 614:125-135. [PMID: 36653448 PMCID: PMC9892008 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 118.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The human microbiome is an integral component of the human body and a co-determinant of several health conditions1,2. However, the extent to which interpersonal relations shape the individual genetic makeup of the microbiome and its transmission within and across populations remains largely unknown3,4. Here, capitalizing on more than 9,700 human metagenomes and computational strain-level profiling, we detected extensive bacterial strain sharing across individuals (more than 10 million instances) with distinct mother-to-infant, intra-household and intra-population transmission patterns. Mother-to-infant gut microbiome transmission was considerable and stable during infancy (around 50% of the same strains among shared species (strain-sharing rate)) and remained detectable at older ages. By contrast, the transmission of the oral microbiome occurred largely horizontally and was enhanced by the duration of cohabitation. There was substantial strain sharing among cohabiting individuals, with 12% and 32% median strain-sharing rates for the gut and oral microbiomes, and time since cohabitation affected strain sharing more than age or genetics did. Bacterial strain sharing additionally recapitulated host population structures better than species-level profiles did. Finally, distinct taxa appeared as efficient spreaders across transmission modes and were associated with different predicted bacterial phenotypes linked with out-of-host survival capabilities. The extent of microorganism transmission that we describe underscores its relevance in human microbiome studies5, especially those on non-infectious, microbiome-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paolo Manghi
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Fabio Cumbo
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Kun D Huang
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Serena Manara
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | - Elisa Piperni
- Department of Experimental Oncology, IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Liviana Ricci
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Moreno Zolfo
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Olivia Farrant
- Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Adriana Goncalves
- Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Marta Selma-Royo
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology-National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana G Binetti
- Instituto de Lactología Industrial (CONICET-UNL), Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Jimmy E Becerra
- Grupo de Investigación Alimentación y Comportamiento Humano, Universidad Metropolitana, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Bei Han
- School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - John Lusingu
- National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Medical Research Centre, Tanga, Tanzania
| | - John Amuasi
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire M Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Mario Falchi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Adrian Tett
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Last
- Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Qian Xu
- Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Realbio Genomics Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Qin
- Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Realbio Genomics Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Huanlong Qin
- Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jürgen May
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Eibach
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Valeria Corrias
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Mirco Ponzoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Pasolli
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples 'Federico II', Portici, Italy
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Enrico Domenici
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Centre for Computational and Systems Biology (COSBI), Microsoft Research Foundation, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Maria Carmen Collado
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology-National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Nicola Segata
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- Department of Experimental Oncology, IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
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12
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Baldo L, Tavecchia G, Rotger A, Igual JM, Riera JL. Insular holobionts: persistence and seasonal plasticity of the Balearic wall lizard ( Podarcis lilfordi) gut microbiota. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14511. [PMID: 36620745 PMCID: PMC9817956 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Integrative studies of animals and associated microbial assemblages (i.e., the holobiont) are rapidly changing our perspectives on organismal ecology and evolution. Insular vertebrates provide ideal natural systems to understand patterns of host-gut microbiota coevolution, the resilience and plasticity these microbial communities over temporal and spatial scales, and ultimately their role in the host ecological adaptation. Methods Here we used the endemic Balearic wall lizard Podarcis lilfordi to dissect the drivers of the microbial diversity within and across host allopatric populations/islets. By focusing on three extensively studied populations/islets of Mallorca (Spain) and fecal sampling from individually identified lizards along two years (both in spring and autumn), we sorted out the effect of islet, sex, life stage, year and season on the microbiota composition. We further related microbiota diversity to host genetics, trophic ecology and expected annual metabolic changes. Results All the three populations showed a remarkable conservation of the major microbial taxonomic profile, while carrying their unique microbial signature at finer level of taxonomic resolution (Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs)). Microbiota distances across populations were compatible with both host genetics (based on microsatellites) and trophic niche distances (based on stable isotopes and fecal content). Within populations, a large proportion of ASVs (30-50%) were recurrently found along the four sampling dates. The microbial diversity was strongly marked by seasonality, with no sex effect and a marginal life stage and annual effect. The microbiota showed seasonal fluctuations along the two sampled years, primarily due to changes in the relative abundances of fermentative bacteria (mostly families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae), without any major compositional turnover. Conclusions These results support a large resilience of the major compositional aspects of the P. lilfordi gut microbiota over the short-term evolutionary divergence of their host allopatric populations (<10,000 years), but also indicate an undergoing process of parallel diversification of the both host and associated gut microbes. Predictable seasonal dynamics in microbiota diversity suggests a role of microbiota plasticity in the lizards' metabolic adaptation to their resource-constrained insular environments. Overall, our study supports the need for longitudinal and integrative studies of host and associated microbes in natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Baldo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Giacomo Tavecchia
- Animal Demography and Ecology Unit, IMEDEA, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Esporles, Spain
| | - Andreu Rotger
- Animal Demography and Ecology Unit, IMEDEA, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Esporles, Spain
| | - José Manuel Igual
- Animal Demography and Ecology Unit, IMEDEA, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Esporles, Spain
| | - Joan Lluís Riera
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Watson M, May G, Bushley KE. Sources of Fungal Symbionts in the Microbiome of a Mobile Insect Host, Spodoptera frugiperda. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022:10.1007/s00248-022-02140-3. [PMID: 36478022 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02140-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The sources of fungal symbionts of insects are not well understood, yet the acquisition and assembly of fungal communities in mobile insect hosts have important implications for the ecology of migratory insects and their plant hosts. To determine potential sources of fungi associated with the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), we characterized the fungal communities associated with four different ecological compartments (insects, infested leaves, uninfested leaves, and soil) and estimated the contributions of each of these potential sources to the insect's fungal microbiome. Results show that insect fungal community composition was distinct from and more varied than the composition of fungal communities in the environment of those insects (plants and soil). Among the sources evaluated, on average we found a surprisingly large apparent contribution from other congeneric S. frugiperda insect larvae (ca. 25%) compared to the contribution from soil or plant sources (< 5%). However, a large proportion of the insect microbiome could not be attributed to the sampled sources and was instead attributed to unknown sources (ca. 50%). Surprisingly, we found little evidence for exchange of fungal taxa, with the exception of a Fusarium oxysporum and a Cladosporium sp. OTU, between larvae and the infested leaves on which they fed. Together, our results suggest that mobile insects such as S. frugiperda obtain their fungal symbionts from a variety of sources, not limited to plants and soil, but including conspecific insects and other unsampled environmental sources, and that transmission among insects may play an important role in acquisition of fungal symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Watson
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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14
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Pinacho-Guendulain B, Montiel-Castro AJ, Ramos-Fernández G, Pacheco-López G. Social complexity as a driving force of gut microbiota exchange among conspecific hosts in non-human primates. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:876849. [PMID: 36110388 PMCID: PMC9468716 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.876849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergent concept of the social microbiome implies a view of a highly connected biological world, in which microbial interchange across organisms may be influenced by social and ecological connections occurring at different levels of biological organization. We explore this idea reviewing evidence of whether increasing social complexity in primate societies is associated with both higher diversity and greater similarity in the composition of the gut microbiota. By proposing a series of predictions regarding such relationship, we evaluate the existence of a link between gut microbiota and primate social behavior. Overall, we find that enough empirical evidence already supports these predictions. Nonetheless, we conclude that studies with the necessary, sufficient, explicit, and available evidence are still scarce. Therefore, we reflect on the benefit of founding future analyses on the utility of social complexity as a theoretical framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braulio Pinacho-Guendulain
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Augusto Jacobo Montiel-Castro
- Department of Health Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), Lerma, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Augusto Jacobo Montiel-Castro,
| | - Gabriel Ramos-Fernández
- Institute for Research on Applied Mathematics and Systems (IIMAS), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
- Center for Complexity Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gustavo Pacheco-López
- Department of Health Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), Lerma, Mexico
- Gustavo Pacheco-López,
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15
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Ørsted M, Yashiro E, Hoffmann AA, Kristensen TN. Population bottlenecks constrain host microbiome diversity and genetic variation impeding fitness. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010206. [PMID: 35604942 PMCID: PMC9166449 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly clear that microbial symbionts influence key aspects of their host’s fitness, and vice versa. This may fundamentally change our thinking about how microbes and hosts interact in influencing fitness and adaptation to changing environments. Here we explore how reductions in population size commonly experienced by threatened species influence microbiome diversity. Consequences of such reductions are normally interpreted in terms of a loss of genetic variation, increased inbreeding and associated inbreeding depression. However, fitness effects of population bottlenecks might also be mediated through microbiome diversity, such as through loss of functionally important microbes. Here we utilise 50 Drosophila melanogaster lines with different histories of population bottlenecks to explore these questions. The lines were phenotyped for egg-to-adult viability and their genomes sequenced to estimate genetic variation. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified in these lines to investigate microbial diversity. We found that 1) host population bottlenecks constrained microbiome richness and diversity, 2) core microbiomes of hosts with low genetic variation were constituted from subsets of microbiomes found in flies with higher genetic variation, 3) both microbiome diversity and host genetic variation contributed to host population fitness, 4) connectivity and robustness of bacterial networks was low in the inbred lines regardless of host genetic variation, 5) reduced microbial diversity was associated with weaker evolutionary responses of hosts in stressful environments, and 6) these effects were unrelated to Wolbachia density. These findings suggest that population bottlenecks reduce hologenomic variation (combined host and microbial genetic variation). Thus, while the current biodiversity crisis focuses on population sizes and genetic variation of eukaryotes, an additional focal point should be the microbial diversity carried by the eukaryotes, which in turn may influence host fitness and adaptability with consequences for the persistence of populations. It is becoming increasingly clear that organisms and the microbes that live on or in them–their microbiome–affect each other in profound ways that we are just beginning to understand. For instance, a diverse microbiome can help maintain metabolic functions or fight pathogens causing diseases. A disrupted microbiome may be especially critical for animals and plants that occur in low numbers because of threats from e.g. human exploitation or climate change, as they may already suffer from genetic challenges such as inbreeding and reduced evolutionary potential. The importance of such a reduction in population size, called a bottleneck, on the microbial diversity and the potential interactive effects on host health remains unexplored. Here we experimentally test these associations by investigating the microbiomes of 50 inbred or non-inbred populations of vinegar flies. We found that restricting the population size constrain the host’s genetic variation and simultaneously decreases the diversity of the microbiome that they harbor, and that both effects were detrimental to host fitness. The microbial communities in inbred host populations were less robust than in their non-inbred counterparts, suggesting that we should increasingly consider the microbiome diversity, which may ultimately influence the health and persistence of threatened species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ørsted
- Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Bioscience and Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Erika Yashiro
- Section for Bioscience and Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ary A. Hoffmann
- Section for Bioscience and Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- School of Biosciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Torsten Nygaard Kristensen
- Section for Bioscience and Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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16
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Weinhold A. Bowel Movement: Integrating Host Mobility and Microbial Transmission Across Host Taxa. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:826364. [PMID: 35242121 PMCID: PMC8886138 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.826364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota of animals displays a high degree of plasticity with respect to environmental or dietary adaptations and is shaped by factors like social interactions, diet diversity or the local environment. But the contribution of these drivers varies across host taxa and our ability to explain microbiome variability within wild populations remains limited. Terrestrial animals have divergent mobility ranges and can either crawl, walk or fly, from a couple of centimeters toward thousands of kilometers. Animal movement has been little regarded in host microbiota frameworks, though it can directly influence major drivers of the host microbiota: (1) Aggregation movement can enhance social transmissions, (2) foraging movement can extend range of diet diversity, and (3) dispersal movement determines the local environment of a host. Here, I would like to outline how movement behaviors of different host taxa matter for microbial acquisition across mammals, birds as well as insects. Host movement can have contrasting effects and either reduce or enlarge spatial scale. Increased dispersal movement could dissolve local effects of sampling location, while aggregation could enhance inter-host transmissions and uniformity among social groups. Host movement can also extend the boundaries of microbial dispersal limitations and connect habitat patches across plant-pollinator networks, while the microbiota of wild populations could converge toward a uniform pattern when mobility is interrupted in captivity or laboratory settings. Hence, the implementation of host movement would be a valuable addition to the metacommunity concept, to comprehend microbial dispersal within and across trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Weinhold
- Faculty of Biology, Cellular and Organismic Networks, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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17
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Rosenberg E, Zilber-Rosenberg I. Reconstitution and Transmission of Gut Microbiomes and Their Genes between Generations. Microorganisms 2021; 10:microorganisms10010070. [PMID: 35056519 PMCID: PMC8780831 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10010070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbiomes are transmitted between generations by a variety of different vertical and/or horizontal modes, including vegetative reproduction (vertical), via female germ cells (vertical), coprophagy and regurgitation (vertical and horizontal), physical contact starting at birth (vertical and horizontal), breast-feeding (vertical), and via the environment (horizontal). Analyses of vertical transmission can result in false negatives (failure to detect rare microbes) and false positives (strain variants). In humans, offspring receive most of their initial gut microbiota vertically from mothers during birth, via breast-feeding and close contact. Horizontal transmission is common in marine organisms and involves selectivity in determining which environmental microbes can colonize the organism's microbiome. The following arguments are put forth concerning accurate microbial transmission: First, the transmission may be of functions, not necessarily of species; second, horizontal transmission may be as accurate as vertical transmission; third, detection techniques may fail to detect rare microbes; lastly, microbiomes develop and reach maturity with their hosts. In spite of the great variation in means of transmission discussed in this paper, microbiomes and their functions are transferred from one generation of holobionts to the next with fidelity. This provides a strong basis for each holobiont to be considered a unique biological entity and a level of selection in evolution, largely maintaining the uniqueness of the entity and conserving the species from one generation to the next.
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18
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Cultivating Healthy Connections: Exploring and Engineering the Microbial Flow That Shapes Microbiomes. mSystems 2021; 6:e0086321. [PMID: 34609161 PMCID: PMC8547466 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00863-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our view of the microbial world has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade. For most of the 20th century, medical microbiological research was focused on understanding the virulent nature of disease-causing pathogens. More recently, advances in DNA sequencing methodologies have exposed a wider diversity of microscopic wildlife that associate with our bodies and the environments around us, and the unexpected roles they play in supporting our health. Our expanding view of the microbial world is now motivating therapeutic interventions that are based not just on the elimination of nefarious pathogens but the nurturing of beneficial microbiomes. In this Commentary, I consider how our historically pathogen-based view of host-microbe interactions may be limiting the scope of new and alternative strategies for engineering microbiomes. I suggest that recognizing the therapeutic potential of the ongoing microbial transmission that connects microbiomes could illuminate unexplored opportunities for cultivating healthy host-microbe relationships.
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19
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Perofsky AC, Ancel Meyers L, Abondano LA, Di Fiore A, Lewis RJ. Social groups constrain the spatiotemporal dynamics of wild sifaka gut microbiomes. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6759-6775. [PMID: 34558751 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Primates acquire gut microbiota from conspecifics through direct social contact and shared environmental exposures. Host behaviour is a prominent force in structuring gut microbial communities, yet the extent to which group or individual-level forces shape the long-term dynamics of gut microbiota is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of three aspects of host sociality (social groupings, dyadic interactions, and individual dispersal between groups) on gut microbiome composition and plasticity in 58 wild Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) from six social groups. Over the course of three dry seasons in a 5-year period, the six social groups maintained distinct gut microbial signatures, with the taxonomic composition of individual communities changing in tandem among coresiding group members. Samples collected from group members during each season were more similar than samples collected from single individuals across different years. In addition, new immigrants and individuals with less stable social ties exhibited elevated rates of microbiome turnover across seasons. Our results suggest that permanent social groupings shape the changing composition of commensal and mutualistic gut microbial communities and thus may be important drivers of health and resilience in wild primate populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Perofsky
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Lauren Ancel Meyers
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| | - Laura A Abondano
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Rebecca J Lewis
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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20
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Browne HP, Almeida A, Kumar N, Vervier K, Adoum AT, Viciani E, Dawson NJR, Forster SC, Cormie C, Goulding D, Lawley TD. Host adaptation in gut Firmicutes is associated with sporulation loss and altered transmission cycle. Genome Biol 2021; 22:204. [PMID: 34348764 PMCID: PMC8340488 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02428-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human-to-human transmission of symbiotic, anaerobic bacteria is a fundamental evolutionary adaptation essential for membership of the human gut microbiota. However, despite its importance, the genomic and biological adaptations underpinning symbiont transmission remain poorly understood. The Firmicutes are a dominant phylum within the intestinal microbiota that are capable of producing resistant endospores that maintain viability within the environment and germinate within the intestine to facilitate transmission. However, the impact of host transmission on the evolutionary and adaptive processes within the intestinal microbiota remains unknown. RESULTS We analyze 1358 genomes of Firmicutes bacteria derived from host and environment-associated habitats. Characterization of genomes as spore-forming based on the presence of sporulation-predictive genes reveals multiple losses of sporulation in many distinct lineages. Loss of sporulation in gut Firmicutes is associated with features of host-adaptation such as genome reduction and specialized metabolic capabilities. Consistent with these data, analysis of 9966 gut metagenomes from adults around the world demonstrates that bacteria now incapable of sporulation are more abundant within individuals but less prevalent in the human population compared to spore-forming bacteria. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest host adaptation in gut Firmicutes is an evolutionary trade-off between transmission range and colonization abundance. We reveal host transmission as an underappreciated process that shapes the evolution, assembly, and functions of gut Firmicutes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary P Browne
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
| | - Alexandre Almeida
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Nitin Kumar
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Kevin Vervier
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | | | - Elisa Viciani
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Nicholas J R Dawson
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Samuel C Forster
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | | | | | - Trevor D Lawley
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
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21
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Robinson CD, Sweeney EG, Ngo J, Ma E, Perkins A, Smith TJ, Fernandez NL, Waters CM, Remington SJ, Bohannan BJM, Guillemin K. Host-emitted amino acid cues regulate bacterial chemokinesis to enhance colonization. Cell Host Microbe 2021; 29:1221-1234.e8. [PMID: 34233153 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Animal microbiomes are assembled predominantly from environmental microbes, yet the mechanisms by which individual symbionts regulate their transmission into hosts remain underexplored. By tracking the experimental evolution of Aeromonas veronii in gnotobiotic zebrafish, we identify bacterial traits promoting host colonization. Multiple independently evolved isolates with increased immigration harbored mutations in a gene we named sensor of proline diguanylate cyclase enzyme (SpdE) based on structural, biochemical, and phenotypic evidence that SpdE encodes an amino-acid-sensing diguanylate cyclase. SpdE detects free proline and to a lesser extent valine and isoleucine, resulting in reduced production of intracellular c-di-GMP, a second messenger controlling bacterial motility. Indeed, SpdE binding to amino acids increased bacterial motility and host colonization. Hosts serve as sources of SpdE-detected amino acids, with levels varying based on microbial colonization status. Our work demonstrates that bacteria use chemically regulated motility, or chemokinesis, to sense host-emitted cues that trigger active immigration into hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily G Sweeney
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Julia Ngo
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Emily Ma
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Arden Perkins
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - T Jarrod Smith
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Nicolas L Fernandez
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Christopher M Waters
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | | | | | - Karen Guillemin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA; Humans and the Microbiome Program, CIFAR, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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22
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Shanahan F, Ghosh TS, O'Toole PW. The Healthy Microbiome-What Is the Definition of a Healthy Gut Microbiome? Gastroenterology 2021; 160:483-494. [PMID: 33253682 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.09.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Use of microbiome-based biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis, risk profiling, and precision therapy requires definition of a healthy microbiome in different populations. To determine features of the intestinal microbiota associated with health, however, we need improved microbiome profiling technologies, with strain-level resolution. We must also learn more about how the microbiome varies among apparently healthy people, how it changes with age, and the effects of diet, medications, ethnicity, geography, and lifestyle. Furthermore, many intestinal microbes, including viruses, phage, fungi, and archaea, have not been characterized, and little is known about their contributions to health and disease.Whether a healthy microbiome can be defined is an important and seemingly simple question, but with a complex answer in continual need of refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fergus Shanahan
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland; APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Tarini S Ghosh
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland; School of Microbiology, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Paul W O'Toole
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland; School of Microbiology, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
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23
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Martinson JNV, Walk ST. Escherichia coli Residency in the Gut of Healthy Human Adults. EcoSal Plus 2020; 9:10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0003-2020. [PMID: 32978935 PMCID: PMC7523338 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0003-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli is one of the most well-studied bacterial species, but several significant knowledge gaps remain regarding its ecology and natural history. Specifically, the most important factors influencing its life as a member of the healthy human gut microbiome are either underevaluated or currently unknown. Distinct E. coli population dynamics have been observed over the past century from a handful of temporal studies conducted in healthy human adults. Early studies using serology up to the most recent studies using genotyping and DNA sequencing approaches have all identified long-lived E. coli residents and short-lived transients. This review summarizes these discoveries and other studies that focused on the underlying mechanisms that lead to establishment and maintenance of E. coli residency in healthy human adults. Many fundamental knowledge gaps remain and are highlighted with the hope of facilitating future studies in this exciting research area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Seth T Walk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717
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24
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Swimming motility of a gut bacterial symbiont promotes resistance to intestinal expulsion and enhances inflammation. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000661. [PMID: 32196484 PMCID: PMC7112236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Some of the densest microbial ecosystems in nature thrive within the intestines of humans and other animals. To protect mucosal tissues and maintain immune tolerance, animal hosts actively sequester bacteria within the intestinal lumen. In response, numerous bacterial pathogens and pathobionts have evolved strategies to subvert spatial restrictions, thereby undermining immune homeostasis. However, in many cases, it is unclear how escaping host spatial control benefits gut bacteria and how changes in intestinal biogeography are connected to inflammation. A better understanding of these processes could uncover new targets for treating microbiome-mediated inflammatory diseases. To this end, we investigated the spatial organization and dynamics of bacterial populations within the intestine using larval zebrafish and live imaging. We discovered that a proinflammatory Vibrio symbiont native to zebrafish governs its own spatial organization using swimming motility and chemotaxis. Surprisingly, we found that Vibrio’s motile behavior does not enhance its growth rate but rather promotes its persistence by enabling it to counter intestinal flow. In contrast, Vibrio mutants lacking motility traits surrender to host spatial control, becoming aggregated and entrapped within the lumen. Consequently, nonmotile and nonchemotactic mutants are susceptible to intestinal expulsion and experience large fluctuations in absolute abundance. Further, we found that motile Vibrio cells induce expression of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in gut-associated macrophages and the liver. Using inducible genetic switches, we demonstrate that swimming motility can be manipulated in situ to modulate the spatial organization, persistence, and inflammatory activity of gut bacterial populations. Together, our findings suggest that host spatial control over resident microbiota plays a broader role in regulating the abundance and persistence of gut bacteria than simply protecting mucosal tissues. Moreover, we show that intestinal flow and bacterial motility are potential targets for therapeutically managing bacterial spatial organization and inflammatory activity within the gut. The use of live imaging and bacteria engineered to carry inducible genetic switches reveals how a gut symbiont uses swimming motility to escape the host's spatial control and persist within the physically dynamic confines of the intestine.
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