Microbial Community Structure and Composition is Associated with Host Species and Sex in Sigmodon Cotton Rats
| Autor: | Wei Zhang, Shibu Yooseph, Jorge C. G. Blanco, Arash Kamali, Seesandra V. Rajagopala, Daniel Stylos, Marina S. Boukhvalova, Helen H. Boone, Suman R. Das, Meghan H. Shilts, Britton A. Strickland, Mira C. Patel, Christian Rosas-Salazar |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Sigmodon
Viral pathogenesis Veterinary medicine Zoology Biology Microbiology 03 medical and health sciences SF600-1100 Gut Cotton rat Microbiome 030304 developmental biology Skin 0303 health sciences 030306 microbiology Shotgun sequencing Host (biology) General Medicine biology.organism_classification QR1-502 Infectious disease (medical specialty) Metagenomics Respiratory Species richness 16S rRNA gene Research Article |
| Zdroj: | Animal Microbiome, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 1-17 (2021) Animal Microbiome |
| Popis: | Background The cotton rat (genus Sigmodon) is an essential small animal model for the study of human infectious disease and viral therapeutic development. However, the impact of the host microbiome on infection outcomes has not been explored in this model, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive characterization of microbial communities across different cotton rat species. Understanding the dynamics of their microbiome could significantly help to better understand its role when modeling viral infections in this animal model. Results We examined the bacterial communities of the gut and three external sites (skin, ear, and nose) of two inbred species of cotton rats commonly used in research (S. hispidus and S. fulviventer) by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, constituting the first comprehensive characterization of the cotton rat microbiome. We showed that S. fulviventer maintained higher alpha diversity and richness than S. hispidus at external sites (skin, ear, nose), but there were no differentially abundant genera. However, S. fulviventer and S. hispidus had distinct fecal microbiomes composed of several significantly differentially abundant genera. Whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples identified species-level differences between S. hispidus and S. fulviventer, as well as different metabolic pathway functions as a result of differential host microbiome contributions. Furthermore, the microbiome composition of the external sites showed significant sex-based differences while fecal communities were not largely different. Conclusions Our study shows that host genetic background potentially exerts homeostatic pressures, resulting in distinct microbiomes for two different inbred cotton rat species. Because of the numerous studies that have uncovered strong relationships between host microbiome, viral infection outcomes, and immune responses, our findings represent a strong contribution for understanding the impact of different microbial communities on viral pathogenesis. Furthermore, we provide novel cotton rat microbiome data as a springboard to uncover the full therapeutic potential of the microbiome against viral infections. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|