Effects of oxygen exposure on relative nucleic acid content and membrane integrity in the human gut microbiota.

ABSTRACT: While the diversity of the human gut microbiota is becoming increasingly well characterized, bacterial physiology is still a critical missing link in understanding how the gut microbiota may be implicated in disease. The current best practice for studying bacterial physiology involves the immediate storage of fecal samples in an anaerobic chamber. This reliance on immediate access to anaerobic chambers greatly limits the scope of sample populations that can be studied. Here, we assess the effects of short-term oxygen exposure on gut bacterial physiology and diversity. We use relative nucleic acid content and membrane integrity as markers of bacterial physiology, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to measure bacterial diversity. Samples were stored for up to 6 h in either ambient conditi

SUBMITTER: Taguer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7866891 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature