An infant gut microbiome cross-feeding system reconstructed from individualized cultivations with three infant fecal inocula and supplemented with the human milk oligosaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose (2'FL). Bifidobacterium breve typically cannot metabolize 2'FL on its own, but extracellular fucosidases encoded by coexisting Ruminococcus gnavus release lactose from 2'FL and unlock extensive B. breve growth. Targeted cocultures and supplementation of R. gnavus into an infant microbiome showed that R. gnavus promotes B. breve growth through HMO breakdown, demonstrating that infant HMO utilization depends on synergistic interactions among coexisting species.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bifidobacterium breve | NCBITaxon:1685 |
CROSS_FEEDER
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ABUNDANT |
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| Ruminococcus gnavus | NCBITaxon:33038 |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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ABUNDANT |
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Ecological Interactions
R. gnavus 2'FL Hydrolysis Feeds B. breve
CROSS_FEEDINGSource Taxon: Ruminococcus gnavus
Target Taxon: Bifidobacterium breve
Metabolites: 2'-fucosyllactose (CHEBI:62122), lactose (CHEBI:36219)
Biological Processes:
- carbohydrate metabolic process (GO:0005975)
Evidence
-
PMID:37973815 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"R. gnavus can promote extensive growth of B. breve through the release of lactose from 2'FL"
Individualized HMO Utilization Capacity
CROSS_FEEDINGEvidence
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PMID:37973815 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"HMO utilization can vary with an individual's microbiome"
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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Primary publication for the infant HMO cross-feeding coculture
PubMed record for the Lou et al. 2023 Nature Communications paper on Bifidobacterium breve - Ruminococcus gnavus 2'FL cross-feeding. |
OTHER | PMID:37973815 |
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DOI landing page
DOI link to the Nature Communications paper. |
OTHER | doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43279-y |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2'-fucosyllactose supplementation | 2'FL HMO substrate | N/A |
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