Abstract
Characterizing the stability of the gut microbiome is important to exploit it as a therapeutic target and diagnostic biomarker. We metagenomically and metatranscriptomically sequenced the faecal microbiomes of 308 participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants provided four stool samples - one pair collected 24-72 h apart and a second pair ~6 months later. Within-person taxonomic and functional variation was consistently lower than between-person variation over time. In contrast, metatranscriptomic profiles were comparably variable within and between subjects due to higher within-subject longitudinal variation. Metagenomic instability accounted for ~74% of corresponding metatranscriptomic instability. The rest was probably attributable to sources such as regulation. Among the pathways that were differentially regulated, most were consistently over- or under-transcribed at each time point. Together, these results suggest that a single measurement of the faecal microbiome can provide long-term information regarding organismal composition and functional potential, but repeated or short-term measures may be necessary for dynamic features identified by metatranscriptomics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 347-355 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Nature Microbiology |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published or Issued - 1 Mar 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Genetics
- Microbiology (medical)
- Cell Biology