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Metabolomic Analysis of Human Fecal Microbiota: A Comparison of Feces-Derived Communities and Defined Mixed Communities
journal contribution
posted on 2015-03-06, 00:00 authored by Sandi Yen, Julie
A. K. McDonald, Kathleen Schroeter, Kaitlyn Oliphant, Stanislav Sokolenko, Eric J. M. Blondeel, Emma Allen-Vercoe, Marc G. AucoinThe
extensive impact of the human gut microbiota on its human host
calls for a need to understand the types of communication that occur
among the bacteria and their host. A metabolomics approach can provide
a snapshot of the microbe–microbe interactions occurring as
well as variations in the microbes from different hosts. In this study,
metabolite profiles from an anaerobic continuous stirred-tank reactors
(CSTR) system supporting the growth of several consortia of bacteria
representative of the human gut were established and compared. Cell-free
supernatant samples were analyzed by 1D 1H nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, producing spectra representative of
the metabolic activity of a particular community at a given time.
Using targeted profiling, specific metabolites were identified and
quantified on the basis of NMR analyses. Metabolite profiles discriminated
each bacterial community examined, demonstrating that there are significant
differences in the microbiota metabolome between each cultured community.
We also found unique compounds that were identifying features of individual
bacterial consortia. These findings are important because they demonstrate
that metabolite profiles of gut microbial ecosystems can be constructed
by targeted profiling of NMR spectra. Moreover, examination of these
profiles sheds light on the type of microbes present in the gut and
their metabolic interactions.