Host genetic selection for cold tolerance shapes microbiome composition and modulates its response to temperature.

ABSTRACT: The hologenome concept proposes that microbes and their host organism are an independent unit of selection. Motivated by this concept, we hypothesized that thermal acclimation in poikilothermic organisms, owing to their inability to maintain their body temperature, is connected to their microbiome composition. To test this hypothesis, we used a unique experimental setup with a transgenerational selective breeding scheme for cold tolerance in tropical tilapias. We tested the effects of the selection on the gut microbiome and on host transcriptomic response. Interestingly, we found that host genetic selection for thermal tolerance shapes the microbiome composition and its response to cold. The microbiomes of cold-resistant fish showed higher resilience to temperature changes, indicating that

SUBMITTER: Kokou F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6277203 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature