Multiomics characterisation of the zoo-housed gorilla gut microbiome reveals bacterial community compositions shifts, fungal cellulose-degrading, and archaeal methanogenic activity.

ABSTRACT: We carried out a comparative analysis between the bacterial microbiota composition of zoo-housed western lowland gorillas and their wild counterparts through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. In addition, we characterised the carbohydrate-active and methanogenic potential of the zoo-housed gorilla (ZHG) microbiome through shotgun metagenomics and RNA sequencing. The ZHG microbiota showed increased alpha diversity in terms of bacterial species richness and a distinct composition from that of the wild gorilla microbiota, including a loss of abundant fibre-degrading and hydrogenic Chloroflexi. Metagenomic analysis of the CAZyome indicated predominant oligosaccharide-degrading activity, while RNA sequencing revealed diverse cellulase and hemi-cellulase activities in the ZHG gut, contributing

SUBMITTER: Houtkamp IM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11406404 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature