A Continuous Battle for Host-Derived Glycans Between a Mucus Specialist and a Glycan Generalist in vitro and in vivo.

ABSTRACT: The human gastrointestinal tract is colonized by a diverse microbial community, which plays a crucial role in human health. In the gut, a protective mucus layer that consists of glycan structures separates the bacteria from the host epithelial cells. These host-derived glycans are utilized by bacteria that have adapted to this specific compound in the gastrointestinal tract. Our study investigated the close interaction between two distinct gut microbiota members known to use mucus glycans, the generalist Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and the specialist Akkermansia muciniphila in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro study, in which mucin was the only nutrient source, indicated that B. thetaiotaomicron significantly upregulated genes coding for Glycoside Hydrolas

SUBMITTER: Kostopoulos I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8264420 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature