CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Specificity of Polysaccharide Use in Intestinal Bacteroides Species Determines Diet-Induced Microbiota Alterations Erica D. Sonnenburg,1,3 Hongjun Zheng,2,3 Payal Joglekar,1 Steven K. Higginbottom,1 Susan J. Firbank,2 David N. Bolam,2,* and Justin L. Sonnenburg1,* 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA 2Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK 3These authors contributed equally to this work *Correspondence:
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[email protected] (J.L.S.) DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2010.05.005 SUMMARY tracted loss of the typical composition has been associated with several disorders including inflammatory bowel diseases The intestinal microbiota impacts many facets of (Frank et al., 2007). In addition, changes in composition have human health and is associated with human diseases. been associated with obesity and weight loss; however, factors Diet impacts microbiota composition, yet mecha- that cause these changes are not well defined (Duncan nisms that link dietary changes to microbiota alter- et al., 2008; Ley et al., 2006). The alterations in community ations remain ill-defined. Here we elucidate the basis membership, whether chronic or short-term, are accompanied of Bacteroides proliferation in response to fructans, by changes in the microbiota’s collective genome, or micro- biome, and the patterns and metabolic capabilities it specifies a class of fructose-based dietary polysaccharides. (Turnbaugh et al., 2009). Therefore, the mechanisms that link Structural and genetic analysis disclosed a fructose- relevant variables, such as changes in diet, to changes in the mi- binding, hybrid two-component signaling sensor that crobiome, are integral to understanding how environmental controls the fructan utilization locus in Bacteroides factors and behavior influence human biology.