It is well known that the gut microbiota plays an important functional role through catabolism of undigested nutrients, fermentation of indigestible fibers, and subsequent release of metabolic byproducts. These released metabolites not only effect human colon cells and other microbes in the surrounding environment but can exert a global effect by entering the blood stream and traveling to accessory tissues and remote organs. Studies of the gut microbiota metabolome thus far have produced interesting and significant results; however, these studies are typically performed on blood or fecal samples from an in vivo model, and therefore are unable to discern between metabolites produced by the gut microbiota, and those that are either directly produced by the mammalian cells, or are altered by the mammalian cells, during the entero-hepatic circulation. In addition, this fails to discern between metabolites produced in the different regions of the colon, each of which contains a unique microenvironment that inimitably shape the microbiota into region specific communities. In order to gain a deep understanding regarding nutrient availability, community structure, and metabolites produced by the gut microbiota requires region-specific analysis in the absence of mammalian components. Here, the region-specific gut microbial communities were cultured using an in vitro system capable of simulating the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Samples were harvested from each colon region and used to determine community structure using Shotgun sequencing, metabolites produced using LC-MS, and short chain fatty acids released using GC-MS. The differences and similarities between regions were identified to generate region specific profiles. Finally, data from these analyses were combined to provide a comprehensive description of the gut microbiota in terms of community structure and metabolome. For the first time, the connection between nutrient utilization, community structure, and the metabolome was analyzed for the in vitro, region specific communities of the gut microbiota.

Nutrient utilization of a gut microbial community: Metabolic analysis of the distinct regional communities in vitro

2019 Fall National Meeting

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