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Yang Q, Van Haute M, Korth N, Sattler SE, Toy J, Rose DJ, Schnable JC, Benson AK. Genetic analysis of seed traits in Sorghum bicolor that affect the human gut microbiome. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5641. [PMID: 36163368 PMCID: PMC9513080 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33419-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Prebiotic fibers, polyphenols and other molecular components of food crops significantly affect the composition and function of the human gut microbiome and human health. The abundance of these, frequently uncharacterized, microbiome-active components vary within individual crop species. Here, we employ high throughput in vitro fermentations of pre-digested grain using a human microbiome to identify segregating genetic loci in a food crop, sorghum, that alter the composition and function of human gut microbes. Evaluating grain produced by 294 sorghum recombinant inbreds identifies 10 loci in the sorghum genome associated with variation in the abundance of microbial taxa and/or microbial metabolites. Two loci co-localize with sorghum genes regulating the biosynthesis of condensed tannins. We validate that condensed tannins stimulate the growth of microbes associated with these two loci. Our work illustrates the potential for genetic analysis to systematically discover and characterize molecular components of food crops that influence the human gut microbiome. Diet affects the human gut microbiome, but studies linking crop genetics to seed traits that influence the human gut microbiome are lacking. Here, the authors develop an in vitro microbiome screening method and reveal the association between sorghum genes regulating condensed tannin biosynthesis and human gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinnan Yang
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Mallory Van Haute
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Nate Korth
- Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Complex Biosystems Graduate Program, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Scott E Sattler
- Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - John Toy
- Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Devin J Rose
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - James C Schnable
- Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Andrew K Benson
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA. .,Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.
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