Reproducible changes in the gut microbiome suggest a shift in microbial and host metabolism during spaceflight.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Space environment imposes a range of challenges to mammalian physiology and the gut microbiota, and interactions between the two are thought to be important in mammalian health in space. While previous findings have demonstrated a change in the gut microbial community structure during spaceflight, specific environmental factors that alter the gut microbiome and the functional relevance of the microbiome changes during spaceflight remain elusive.

Methods

We profiled the microbiome using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in fecal samples collected from mice after a 37-day spaceflight onboard the International Space Station. We developed an analytical tool, named STARMAPs (Similarity Test for Accordant and Reproducible Microbiome Abundance Patterns), to compare micro

SUBMITTER: Jiang P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6689164 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature