Lectins as probes of the human intestinal microbiome

Abstract

The human microbiota is intimately linked to health and disease. However, identifying community members that contribute to a healthy or dysbiotic state remains a challenge. Host factors regulate microbiome composition by promoting colonization or clearance of microbes. One such factor, soluble lectins, can detect microbes at strain‐level resolution by specific recognition of glycans. Several human lectins expressed at mucosal surfaces can bind microbes, but lectin specificity for microbes is under‐characterized. To this end, we have generated and characterized a suite of fluorescently labeled human soluble lectins to elucidate their microbe‐specificity. Using these probes, we analyzed recognition of bacteria from the human intestinal microbiota, and found that different lectins bind distinct populations. These data support the use of lectins as specific probes of microbial glycosylation. Further, analysis of fecal samples using lectins implicated in clearance of pathogens or promotion of colonization could provide a facile method of profiling the microbiota in health and disease.