Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) gut microbiomes degrade bamboo in distinct patterns: heterofermentation of green leaves to ethanol, lactate and acetate, and homofermentation of yellow pith to lactate
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ABSTRACT: The iconic giant panda is an endangered species known worldwide for its peculiar dietary habits. While retaining the digestive system of a carnivore, the giant panda successfully moved into a diet almost exclusively based on bamboo. Digestion of lignocellulose is believed to be conducted solely by its gut microbiome, provided that no lignocellulose-degrading enzyme was found in the giant panda’s genome. Many reports focused on which lignocellulose component feeds the giant panda, while little effort was made to link the products of bamboo fermentation to the panda’s dietary choices. In the present study, fermentation of either green leaves or yellow pith was conducted in the laboratory using gut microbiomes derived from either green or yellow stools, respectively. Green leaves were fermented to ethanol, lactate and acetate, while yellow pith to lactate resembling, respectively, hetero/homo-fermentation patterns. Several microbial pathways (assessed by metaproteomics) related to hemicellulose rather than cellulose degradation. However, alpha-amylases (E.C. 3.2.1.1) from the giant panda itself were the most predominant enzyme (up to 60% of all metaproteins), indicating that they have a primary role in bamboo digestion. The distinct fermentation profiles resulting from digestion of selected portions of bamboo may be part of the feeding strategy of giant pandas.
INSTRUMENT(S): LTQ Orbitrap
ORGANISM(S): Escherichia Coli Arabidopsis Thaliana (mouse-ear Cress)
TISSUE(S): Bile
SUBMITTER: Robert Heyer
LAB HEAD: Dirk Benndorf
PROVIDER: PXD010872 | Pride | 2020-03-02
REPOSITORIES: Pride
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