Ecology- and genome-based identificationof the Bifidobacteriumadolescentis prototype of the healthy human gut microbiota

Bifidobacteriaare among the firstmicrobial colonizers of the human gut, being frequently associated with human health-promoting activities. In the current study, an in silico methodology based on an ecological and phylogenomic-driven approach allowed the selection of a Bifidobacteriumadolescentis prototype strain, i.e., B. adolescentis PRL2023, which best represents the overall genetic content and functional features of the B. adolescentis taxon. Such features were confirmedby in vitro experiments aimed at evaluating the ability of this strain to survive in the gastrointestinal tract of the host and its ability to interact with human intestinal cells and other microbial gut commensals. In this context, co-cultivation of B. adolescentis PRL2023 and several gut commensals revealed various microbe-microbe interactions and indicated co-metabolism of particular plant-derived glycans, such as xylan.