Carbohydrate active enzymes are affected by diet transition from milk to solid food in infant gut microbiota

Abstract

Infants experience a dramatic change in their food in the first year after birth when they shift from breast milk to solid food. This results in a large change in presence of indigestible polysaccharides, a primary energy resource of gut microbes. How the gut microbiota adapts to this dietary shift has not been well examined. Here, by using metagenomics data, we studied carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) of gut microbiota, which are essential enzymes catalyzing the breakdown of polysaccharides, during this dietary shift. We developed a new approach to categorize CAZyme families by food intake and found CAZyme families associated with milk or solid food. We also found CAZymes with most abundance in 12 months infants that are not associated with solid food or milk but may be related to modulating carbohydrates in the mucus. Additionally, the abundance of gut CAZymes were found to be affected by many other factors, including delivery modes and life style in adults. Taken together, our findings provide novel insights into the dynamic change of gut CAZymes in early human life and provide potential markers for food interference or gut microbiota restoration.

Structure‐Specific Fermentation of Galacto‐Oligosaccharides, Isomalto‐Oligosaccharides and Isomalto/Malto‐Polysaccharides by Infant Fecal Microbiota and Impact on Dendritic Cell Cytokine Responses

“…This finding is supported by the analysis of metagenomes from infant feces that showed an increase in genes encoding carbohydrate‐binding modules and endo‐acting enzymes responsible for the cleavage of polysaccharides upon the introduction of solid food, which coincides with a shift from a Bifidobacterium ‐rich community towards a Bacteroides‐ rich community. [ 70 ]…”

Temporal and nutritional effects on the weaner pig ileal microbiota

“…Finally, using metagenomic sequencing, we identified CAZyme genes and compared the abundance of these between dietary groups. These were targeted due to their role as key determinants for both the composition and activity of the microbiome in weaner pigs [ 10 ] and their essential role during the transition between milk and solid feed [ 38 ]. The dietary groups did not cluster significantly separately by their CAZyme composition, though the Glycoside Hydrolase Family 33 (GH33) was more abundant in the HP group.…”

Microbial Glycoside Hydrolases in the First Year of Life: An Analysis Review on Their Presence and Importance in Infant Gut

“…Bäckhed et al (2015) found that the HMO-relevant GH2, GH18, GH29, GH35, GH42, GH85, and GH95 were more enriched in breastfed compared to formula-fed children of 4 months, but in a nonsignificant manner. Agreeingly, Ye et al (2019) demonstrated no significant differences in GHs based on the same cohort. These results contradict the image of differential species abundances between the two groups.…”

“…In terms of GHs relevant to HMO, GOS, and FOS utilization (Table 1), no significant differences have been reported (Bäckhed et al, 2015;Ye et al, 2019). Interestingly, 12-month-old infants who were breastfed had a higher representation of these GHs, nevertheless in a non-significant manner (Bäckhed et al, 2015).…”

“…The general nature of some GHs like GH2, GH13, and GH42 regarding the targeted substrate can be a factor leading to that result. It should also be taken into consideration that the enzymatic capabilities of the community have been found to be determined by its members (Bäckhed et al, 2015;Lawson et al, 2019;Ye et al, 2019). In general, bifidobacteria contain the highest amount of genetically identified CAZymes related to human milk consumption (Ye et al, 2019).…”