Symbiotic gut microbes modulate human metabolic phenotypes

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0712038105
• Publication Date: 2008-02-06T02:09:03Z
• Authors: Min Li; Baohong Wang; Menghui Zhang; Mattias Rantalainen; Shengyue Wang; Haokui Zhou; Yan Zhang; Jian Shen; Xiaoyan Pang; Meiling Zhang; Hua Wei; Yu Chen; Haifeng Lu; Jian Zuo; Mingming Su; Yunping Qiu; Wei Jia; Chaoni Xiao; Leon M. Smith; Shengli Yang; Elaine Holmes; Huiru Tang; Guoping Zhao; Jeremy K. Nicholson; Lanjuan Li; Liping Zhao
• Keywords: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii; Gut microbiome

Humans have evolved intimate symbiotic relationships with a consortium of gut microbes (microbiome) and individual variations in the microbiome influence host health, may be implicated disease etiology, affect drug metabolism, toxicity, efficacy. However, molecular basis these microbe-host interactions roles bacterial species are obscure. We now demonstrate a"transgenomic" approach to link metabolic phenotype (metabotype) variation. used combination spectroscopic, microbiomic, multivariate statistical tools analyze fecal urinary samples from seven Chinese individuals (sampled twice) model microbial-host connectivities. At level, we found structural differences family microbiomes those reported for American volunteers, which is consistent population microbial cometabolic epidemiological studies. also introduce concept functional metagenomics, defined as "the characterization key members that most metabolism hence health." For example, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii variation associated modulation eight metabolites diverse structure, indicating this highly functionally active member microbiome, influencing numerous pathways. Other were identified showing different varied interactions. Our understanding dynamic host-microbiome symbiosis provides foundation development metagenomics probe systemic effects drugs diet relevance personal public health care solutions.