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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #354380
Title: Alterations in the gut (Gallus gallus) microbiota following the consumption of zinc biofortified wheat (Triticum aestivum) -based diet

Author
item REED, SPENSER - Cornell University
item KNEZ, MARIJA - Flinders University
item UZAN, ATARA - Bar-Ilan University
item STANGOULIS, JAMES - Flinders University
item Glahn, Raymond
item KOREN, OMRY - Bar-Ilan University
item Tako, Elad

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2018
Publication Date: 6/6/2018
Citation: Reed, S., Knez, M., Uzan, A., Stangoulis, J., Glahn, R.P., Koren, O., Tako, E.N. 2018. Alterations in the gut (Gallus gallus) microbiota following the consumption of zinc biofortified wheat (Triticum aestivum) -based diet. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 66(25):6291-6299. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b01481.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b01481

Interpretive Summary: Zinc is an essential mineral for humans and animals. Zinc deficiency affects about two billion people worldwide and is associated with growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, increased susceptibility to infection, and diarrhea. In the current study, the structure and function of the intestinal microbial populations following the consumption of a zinc (Zn) enhanced wheat diet was evaluated in a novel animal model of human nutrition (Gallus gallus) during a six-week efficacy trial. Zn enhanced wheat based diet was shown to have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microbial populations. Further we were able to identify a microbial specie (Ruminococcus genus) that appeared to strongly predict host Zn adequacy. Our data demonstrate that the intestinal microbiome associated with Zn enhanced wheat ingestion is unique, and may influence host Zn status.

Technical Abstract: The structure and function of the cecal microbiota following the consumption of a zinc (Zn) biofortified wheat diet was evaluated in a novel animal model of human nutrition (Gallus gallus) during a six-week efficacy trial. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, a significant increase in B- but not a- microbial diversity was observed in the animals receiving the Zn biofortified wheat diet, relative to the control. No significant taxonomic differences were found between the two groups. Linear discriminant analysis revealed a group of metagenomic biomarkers that delineated the Zn replete versus Zn deficient phenotypes, such that enrichment of lactic acid bacteria and concomitant increases in Zn-dependent bacterial metabolic pathways were observed in the Zn biofortified group, and expansion of mucin-degraders and specific bacterial groups able to participate in maintaining host Zn homeostasis were observed in the control group. Additionally, the Ruminococcus genus appeared to be a key player in delineating the Zn replete microbiota from the control group, as it strongly predicts host Zn adequacy. Our data demonstrate that the gut microbiome associated with Zn biofortified wheat ingestion is unique, and may influence host Zn status. Microbiota analysis in biofotification trials represents a crucial area for study as Zn biofortified diets are increasingly delivered on a population-wide scale.