Metagenome-wide association of microbial determinants of host phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

Animal-associated bacteria (microbiota) affect host behaviors and physiological traits. To identify bacterial genetic determinants of microbiota-responsive host traits, we employed a metagenome-wide association (MGWA) approach in two steps. First, we measured two microbiota-responsive host traits, development time and triglyceride (TAG) content, in Drosophila melanogaster flies monoassociated with each of 41 bacterial strains. The effects of monoassociation on host traits were not confined to particular taxonomic groups. Second, we clustered protein-coding sequences of the bacteria by sequence similarity de novo and statistically associated the magnitude of the host trait with the bacterial gene contents. The animals had been monoassociated with genome-sequenced bacteria

SUBMITTER: Chaston JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4196228 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature