A novel sodium channel mutation in a family with hypokalemic periodic paralysis

TLDR

Gut microbiota influences host physiology, yet it is unclear whether fecal sampling accurately reflects intestinal bacterial communities or captures temporal dynamics. The study compares 16S rRNA gene–sequenced bacterial communities from intestinal tissue and feces in threespine stickleback to evaluate non‑lethal sampling. The authors used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to compare bacterial communities from intestinal tissue and feces in stickleback. Fecal and intestinal bacterial communities largely overlap, and fecal samples reliably detect diet‑induced changes, confirming fecal sampling as a valid non‑lethal method for longitudinal gut microbiota studies in stickleback.

Abstract

<h3>Abstract</h3> Diverse microbial communities associated with the guts of their hosts are crucial for many aspects of their hosts' physiology, ecology, and evolution. The gut microbiota has been characterized for a broad range of species across the animal kingdom. Yet, for many host species we still don't have a good understanding of whether non-lethal sampling (e.g., fecal matter) can accurately capture the diversity of gut-associated bacterial communities, as estimated from lethal sampling of intestinal tissue. We further lack knowledge on whether such non-lethal sampling methods are suitable for studying temporal gut microbiota dynamics. Here, we addressed these questions in threespine stickleback fish, a model system in evolutionary ecology, by comparing bacterial communities based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing from intestinal tissue and feces. Despite some differences in community composition between the two sample types, we show that bacterial communities of feces and intestinal tissue largely overlap. Further, we were able to detect consistent and significant changes of fecal bacterial communities associated with an experimental diet shift. These results suggest that fecal sampling represents an adequate non-lethal method to characterize the gut microbiota of threespine stickleback. This allows for studying temporal gut microbiota dynamics at the individual level, which increases opportunities for future experimental gut microbiota research.