Rapid evolution of a novel protective symbiont into keystone taxon in Caenorhabditis elegans microbiota.

ABSTRACT: Protective microbes have a major role in shaping host-pathogen interactions, but their relative importance in the structure of the host microbiota remains unclear. Here, we used a network approach to characterize the impact of a novel, experimentally evolved 'protective microbial symbiont' (Enterococcus faecalis) on the structure and predicted function of the natural microbiota of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. We used microbial network analysis to identify keystone taxa and describe the hierarchical placement of protective and non-protective symbionts in the microbiota. We found that early colonization with symbionts produce statistically significant changes in the structure of the community. Notably, only the protective E. faecalis became a keystone taxon in the nematode micr

SUBMITTER: Wu-Chuang A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9388637 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature