Abstract
Methods for measuring gut microbiota biochemical activities in vivo are needed to characterize its functional states in health and disease. To illustrate one approach, an arabinan-containing polysaccharide was isolated from pea fiber, its structure defined, and forward genetic and proteomic analyses used to compare its effects, versus unfractionated pea fiber and sugar beet arabinan, on a human gut bacterial strain consortium in gnotobiotic mice. We produced 'Microbiota Functional Activity Biosensors' (MFABs) consisting of glycans covalently linked to the surface of fluorescent paramagnetic microscopic glass beads. Three MFABs, each containing a unique glycan/fluorophore combination, were simultaneously orally gavaged into gnotobiotic mice, recovered from their intestines, and analyzed to directly quantify bacterial metabolism of structurally distinct arabinans in different human diet contexts. Colocalizing pea-fiber arabinan and another polysaccharide (glucomannan) on the bead surface enhanced in vivo degradation of glucomannan. MFABs represent a potentially versatile platform for developing new prebiotics and more nutritious foods.
Highlights
Increasing effort is being directed to determining how components of diets consumed by various human populations impact the composition and expressed functional features of their gut microbial communities (e.g., Johnson et al, 2019; Ghosh et al, 2020)
PUL97 in B. ovatus ATCC 8483 functions as a fitness PUL with all three supplements (Figure 2 3⁄4 figure supplement 2C) (p
We found that among the pea fiber-responsive Bacteroides identified above, only B. ovatus ATCC 8483 and B. cellulosilyticus WH2 were able to grow in minimal medium containing glucomannan as the sole carbon source (Figure 5A)
Summary
Increasing effort is being directed to determining how components of diets consumed by various human populations impact the composition and expressed functional features of their gut microbial communities (e.g., Johnson et al, 2019; Ghosh et al, 2020). The chemical compositions of food staples are being catalogued at ever deepening levels of detail using higher throughput analytical methods, such as mass spectrometry. Even as this knowledge is being acquired, how food components are recognized by members of the microbiota, and the pathways through which these chemical entities are metabolized by community members to influence their functions and those of the host remain challenging to define. Much needs to be learned about the effects of current methods of food processing on the representation of bioactive food components (Carmody et al, 2015; Wolf et al, 2019), and about the mechanisms that determine whether and how microbes compete and/or cooperate for them
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
