Functional metagenomic profiling of intestinal microbiome in extreme ageing.

ABSTRACT: Age-related alterations in human gut microbiota composition have been thoroughly described, but a detailed functional description of the intestinal bacterial coding capacity is still missing. In order to elucidate the contribution of the gut metagenome to the complex mosaic of human longevity, we applied shotgun sequencing to total fecal bacterial DNA in a selection of samples belonging to a well-characterized human ageing cohort. The age-related trajectory of the human gut microbiome was characterized by loss of genes for shortchain fatty acid production and an overall decrease in the saccharolytic potential, while proteolytic functions were more abundant than in the intestinal metagenome of younger adults. This altered functional profile was associated with a relevant enrichment in "path

SUBMITTER: Rampelli S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3883706 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature