Metabolic cross-feeding in imbalanced diets allows gut microbes to improve reproduction and alter host behaviour

Sílvia F. Henriques, Darshan B. Dhakan, Lúcia Serra, Ana Patrícia Francisco, Zita Carvalho-Santos, Célia Baltazar, Ana Paula Elias, Margarida Anjos, Tong Zhang, Oliver D. K. Maddocks and Carlos Ribeiro ()
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Sílvia F. Henriques: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Darshan B. Dhakan: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Lúcia Serra: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Ana Patrícia Francisco: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Zita Carvalho-Santos: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Célia Baltazar: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Ana Paula Elias: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Margarida Anjos: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Tong Zhang: University of Glasgow Institute of Cancer Sciences, Switchback Road
Oliver D. K. Maddocks: University of Glasgow Institute of Cancer Sciences, Switchback Road
Carlos Ribeiro: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract The impact of commensal bacteria on the host arises from complex microbial-diet-host interactions. Mapping metabolic interactions in gut microbial communities is therefore key to understand how the microbiome influences the host. Here we use an interdisciplinary approach including isotope-resolved metabolomics to show that in Drosophila melanogaster, Acetobacter pomorum (Ap) and Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) a syntrophic relationship is established to overcome detrimental host diets and identify Ap as the bacterium altering the host’s feeding decisions. Specifically, we show that Ap uses the lactate produced by Lp to supply amino acids that are essential to Lp, allowing it to grow in imbalanced diets. Lactate is also necessary and sufficient for Ap to alter the fly’s protein appetite. Our data show that gut bacterial communities use metabolic interactions to become resilient to detrimental host diets. These interactions also ensure the constant flow of metabolites used by the microbiome to alter reproduction and host behaviour.

Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-18049-9

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18049-9

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