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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290777
Title: Bacteroides isolated from four mammalian hosts lack host specific patterns in carbon and nitrogen metabolism

Author
item Atherly, Todd
item Ziemer, Cherie

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/17/2013
Publication Date: 4/17/2013
Citation: Atherly, T.A., Ziemer, C.J. 2013. Bacteroides isolated from four mammalian hosts lack host specific patterns in carbon and nitrogen metabolism. In: Proceedings of the 2013 Congress on Gastrointestinal Function.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Within the distal gut of mammals are found trillions of microbes that utilize nutrients from diet, intestinal mucosa, and other gut microbes. 402 isolates of Bacteroides ovatus, B. thetaiotaomicron, and B. xylanisolvens were recovered from cow, goat, human, and pig fecal enrichments with cellulose or xylan/pectin. These isolates were compared using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and repetitive sequence based-PCR (rep-PCR), using BOX and ERIC rep-PCR primers. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed high sequence homology in this Bacteroides clade, except for 3, all was 97% similar. 16S rRNA gene sequences formed distinct phylogenetic groupings by bacterial species but not host origin. With both rep-PCR methods, isolates did not segregate completely by Bacteroides species type. Grouping the isolates at 90% similarity of banding patterns resulted in the majority of groups containing isolates from just one host. Using 16S rRNA gene sequences and rep-PCR banding patterns 103 isolates and species type strains were selected for further analysis using phenotypic microarrays for carbon and nitrogen substrate utilization. These isolates represented genetic diversity across Bacteroides species and host origin to assess inter- and intra-host and Bacteroides species differences. These Bacteroides species shared the ability to utilize many of the same carbon substrates and were indicative of their broad carbohydrate fermentation abilities. Limited nitrogen substrates were utilized, ammonia was only utilized by 2 B. xylanisolvens. Guanine and xanthine, purine derivatives, were the most utilized nitrogen sources, followed by a few amino sugars and amino acids. This is the first report of B. ovatus, B. thetaiotaomicron, and B. xylanisolvens isolated from a range of mammalian hosts, preferential utilization of purine derivatives and amino sugars as nitrogen sources, and to suggest conservation of these organisms and their functions across mammals.