TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic strategies for sex-biased persistence of gut microbes across human life
AU - Tarracchini, Chiara
AU - Alessandri, Giulia
AU - Fontana, Federico
AU - Rizzo, Sonia Mirjam
AU - Lugli, Gabriele Andrea
AU - Bianchi, Massimiliano Giovanni
AU - Mancabelli, Leonardo
AU - Longhi, Giulia
AU - Argentini, Chiara
AU - Vergna, Laura Maria
AU - Anzalone, Rosaria
AU - Viappiani, Alice
AU - Turroni, Francesca
AU - Taurino, Giuseppe
AU - Chiu, Martina
AU - Arboleya, Silvia
AU - Gueimonde, Miguel
AU - Bussolati, Ovidio
AU - van Sinderen, Douwe
AU - Milani, Christian
AU - Ventura, Marco
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Although compositional variation in the gut microbiome during human development has been extensively investigated, strain-resolved dynamic changes remain to be fully uncovered. In the current study, shotgun metagenomic sequencing data of 12,415 fecal microbiomes from healthy individuals are employed for strain-level tracking of gut microbiota members to elucidate its evolving biodiversity across the human life span. This detailed longitudinal meta-analysis reveals host sex-related persistence of strains belonging to common, maternally-inherited species, such as Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum. Comparative genome analyses, coupled with experiments including intimate interaction between microbes and human intestinal cells, show that specific bacterial glycosyl hydrolases related to host-glycan metabolism may contribute to more efficient colonization in females compared to males. These findings point to an intriguing ancient sex-specific host-microbe coevolution driving the selective persistence in women of key microbial taxa that may be vertically passed on to the next generation.
AB - Although compositional variation in the gut microbiome during human development has been extensively investigated, strain-resolved dynamic changes remain to be fully uncovered. In the current study, shotgun metagenomic sequencing data of 12,415 fecal microbiomes from healthy individuals are employed for strain-level tracking of gut microbiota members to elucidate its evolving biodiversity across the human life span. This detailed longitudinal meta-analysis reveals host sex-related persistence of strains belonging to common, maternally-inherited species, such as Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum. Comparative genome analyses, coupled with experiments including intimate interaction between microbes and human intestinal cells, show that specific bacterial glycosyl hydrolases related to host-glycan metabolism may contribute to more efficient colonization in females compared to males. These findings point to an intriguing ancient sex-specific host-microbe coevolution driving the selective persistence in women of key microbial taxa that may be vertically passed on to the next generation.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85164756820
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-023-39931-2
DO - 10.1038/s41467-023-39931-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 37452041
AN - SCOPUS:85164756820
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 14
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 4220
ER -