Dynamics of Gut Microbiome in Giant Panda Cubs Reveal Transitional Microbes and Pathways in Early Life.

ABSTRACT: Adult giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) express transitional characteristics in that they consume bamboos, despite their carnivore-like digestive tracts. Their genome contains no cellulolytic enzymes; therefore, understanding the development of the giant panda gut microbiome, especially in early life, is important for decoding the rules underlying gut microbial formation, inheritance and dietary transitions. With deep metagenomic sequencing, we investigated the gut microbiomes of two newborn giant panda brothers and their parents living in Macao, China, from 2016 to 2017. Both giant panda cubs exhibited progressive increases in gut microbial richness during growth, particularly from the 6th month after birth. Enterobacteriaceae dominated the gut microbial compositions in both ad

SUBMITTER: Guo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6305432 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature