Abstract
Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus gasseri are two of the main Lactobacillus species found in the healthy vaginal microbiome and have also previously been identified and isolated from the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These two ecological niches are fundamentally different, notably with regards to the epithelial cell type, nutrient availability, environmental conditions, pH, and microbiome composition. Given the dramatic differences between these two environments, we characterized strains within the same Lactobacillus species isolated from either the vaginal or intestinal tract to assess whether they are phenotypically and genetically different. We compared the genomes of the Lactobacillus strains selected in this study for genetic features of interest, and performed a series of comparative phenotypic assays including small intestinal juice and acid resistance, carbohydrate fermentation profiles, lactic acid production, and host interaction with intestinal Caco-2 and vaginal VK2 cell lines. We also developed a simulated vaginal fluid (SVF) to study bacterial growth in a proxy vaginal environment and conducted differential transcriptomic analysis between SVF and standard laboratory MRS medium. Overall, our results show that although strain-specific variation is observed, some phenotypic differences seem associated with the isolation source. We encourage future probiotic formulation to include isolation source and take into consideration genetic and phenotypic features for use at various body sites.
Highlights
Recent advances in human microbiome research have revealed that bacterial strains of the same species can be isolated from different body sites such as the gastrointestinal tract and vaginal tract
The larger genome size of L. crispatus corresponds to a higher number of coding sequence (2118 for L. crispatus JV-V01 (Lcr_V) and 2115 for Lcr_I) compared to L. gasseri strains (1933 for L. gasseri JVV03 (Lga_V) and 1785 for L. gasseri NCK1347 (Lga_I)) (Figure 1A)
Whether the strains of the same species isolated from two distinct environments, such as GI tract and vaginal tract, are functionally different is a key question to answer in the probiotic industry
Summary
Recent advances in human microbiome research have revealed that bacterial strains of the same species can be isolated from different body sites such as the gastrointestinal tract and vaginal tract. These two human body sites are the main targets for probiotic applications. It remains unclear whether tailored probiotic formulations should be considered for specific applications to enhance probiotic efficacy. This work demonstrated that the probiotic functionality can vary with isolation source, and should be taken into consideration during probiotic formulation for enhanced efficacy. L. gasseri and L. crispatus Intestinal vs Vaginal Isolates
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