Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation
Bamboo-eating giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an enigmatic species, which possesses a carnivore-like short and simple gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Despite the remarkable studies on giant panda, its diet adaptability status continues to be a matter of debate. To resolve this puzzle, we inves...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00229/full |
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Article |
| collection |
DOAJ |
| language |
English |
| format |
Article |
| sources |
DOAJ |
| author |
Wei Guo Sudhanshu Mishra Jiangchao Zhao Jingsi Tang Bo Zeng Fanli Kong Ruihong Ning Miao Li Hengzhi Zhang Yutian Zeng Yuanliangzi Tian Yihang Zhong Hongdi Luo Yunhan Liu Jiandong Yang Mingyao Yang Mingwang Zhang Yan Li Qingyong Ni Caiwu Li Chengdong Wang Desheng Li Hemin Zhang Zhili Zuo Ying Li |
| spellingShingle |
Wei Guo Sudhanshu Mishra Jiangchao Zhao Jingsi Tang Bo Zeng Fanli Kong Ruihong Ning Miao Li Hengzhi Zhang Yutian Zeng Yuanliangzi Tian Yihang Zhong Hongdi Luo Yunhan Liu Jiandong Yang Mingyao Yang Mingwang Zhang Yan Li Qingyong Ni Caiwu Li Chengdong Wang Desheng Li Hemin Zhang Zhili Zuo Ying Li Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation Frontiers in Microbiology giant panda gut microbiota metagenomics enzyme activity diet adaptability |
| author_facet |
Wei Guo Sudhanshu Mishra Jiangchao Zhao Jingsi Tang Bo Zeng Fanli Kong Ruihong Ning Miao Li Hengzhi Zhang Yutian Zeng Yuanliangzi Tian Yihang Zhong Hongdi Luo Yunhan Liu Jiandong Yang Mingyao Yang Mingwang Zhang Yan Li Qingyong Ni Caiwu Li Chengdong Wang Desheng Li Hemin Zhang Zhili Zuo Ying Li |
| author_sort |
Wei Guo |
| title |
Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation |
| title_short |
Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation |
| title_full |
Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation |
| title_fullStr |
Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation |
| title_sort |
metagenomic study suggests that the gut microbiota of the giant panda (ailuropoda melanoleuca) may not be specialized for fiber fermentation |
| publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
| series |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
| issn |
1664-302X |
| publishDate |
2018-02-01 |
| description |
Bamboo-eating giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an enigmatic species, which possesses a carnivore-like short and simple gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Despite the remarkable studies on giant panda, its diet adaptability status continues to be a matter of debate. To resolve this puzzle, we investigated the functional potential of the giant panda gut microbiome using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of fecal samples. We also compared our data with similar data from other animal species representing herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores from current and earlier studies. We found that the giant panda hosts a bear-like gut microbiota distinct from those of herbivores indicated by the metabolic potential of the microbiome in the gut of giant pandas and other mammals. Furthermore, the relative abundance of genes involved in cellulose- and hemicellulose-digestion, and enrichment of enzymes associated with pathways of amino acid degradation and biosynthetic reactions in giant pandas echoed a carnivore-like microbiome. Most significantly, the enzyme assay of the giant panda's feces indicated the lowest cellulase and xylanase activity among major herbivores, shown by an in-vitro experimental assay of enzyme activity for cellulose and hemicellulose-degradation. All of our results consistently indicate that the giant panda is not specialized to digest cellulose and hemicellulose from its bamboo diet, making the giant panda a good mammalian model to study the unusual link between the gut microbiome and diet. The increased food intake of the giant pandas might be a strategy to compensate for the gut microbiome functions, highlighting a strong need of conservation of the native bamboo forest both in high- and low-altitude ranges to meet the great demand of bamboo diet of giant pandas. |
| topic |
giant panda gut microbiota metagenomics enzyme activity diet adaptability |
| url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00229/full |
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doaj-cbb29e0bd71f4e5987d44f673a8f86512020-11-25T00:10:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2018-02-01910.3389/fmicb.2018.00229324779Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber FermentationWei Guo0Sudhanshu Mishra1Jiangchao Zhao2Jingsi Tang3Bo Zeng4Fanli Kong5Ruihong Ning6Miao Li7Hengzhi Zhang8Yutian Zeng9Yuanliangzi Tian10Yihang Zhong11Hongdi Luo12Yunhan Liu13Jiandong Yang14Mingyao Yang15Mingwang Zhang16Yan Li17Qingyong Ni18Caiwu Li19Chengdong Wang20Desheng Li21Hemin Zhang22Zhili Zuo23Ying Li24Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaDivision of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United StatesFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaChina Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ya'an, ChinaChina Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ya'an, ChinaChina Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ya'an, ChinaChina Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ya'an, ChinaChengdu Zoo, Chengdu Institute of Wildlife, Chengdu, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, ChinaBamboo-eating giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an enigmatic species, which possesses a carnivore-like short and simple gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Despite the remarkable studies on giant panda, its diet adaptability status continues to be a matter of debate. To resolve this puzzle, we investigated the functional potential of the giant panda gut microbiome using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of fecal samples. We also compared our data with similar data from other animal species representing herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores from current and earlier studies. We found that the giant panda hosts a bear-like gut microbiota distinct from those of herbivores indicated by the metabolic potential of the microbiome in the gut of giant pandas and other mammals. Furthermore, the relative abundance of genes involved in cellulose- and hemicellulose-digestion, and enrichment of enzymes associated with pathways of amino acid degradation and biosynthetic reactions in giant pandas echoed a carnivore-like microbiome. Most significantly, the enzyme assay of the giant panda's feces indicated the lowest cellulase and xylanase activity among major herbivores, shown by an in-vitro experimental assay of enzyme activity for cellulose and hemicellulose-degradation. All of our results consistently indicate that the giant panda is not specialized to digest cellulose and hemicellulose from its bamboo diet, making the giant panda a good mammalian model to study the unusual link between the gut microbiome and diet. The increased food intake of the giant pandas might be a strategy to compensate for the gut microbiome functions, highlighting a strong need of conservation of the native bamboo forest both in high- and low-altitude ranges to meet the great demand of bamboo diet of giant pandas.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00229/fullgiant pandagut microbiotametagenomicsenzyme activitydiet adaptability |