title: Longitudinal analysis reveals characteristically high proportions of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria and temporal variability of vaginal microbiota in northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina).
abstract: The complex and dynamic vaginal microbial ecosystem is critical to both health and disease of the host. Studies focusing on how vaginal microbiota influences HIV-1 infection may face limitations in selecting proper animal models. Given that northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina) are susceptible to HIV-1 infection, they may be an optimal animal model for elucidating the mechanisms by which vaginal microbiota contributes to resistance and susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. However, little is known about the composition and temporal variability of vaginal microbiota of the northern pig-tailed macaque. Here, we present a comprehensive catalog of the composition and temporal dynamics of vaginal microbiota of two healthy northern pig-tailed macaques over 19 weeks using 454-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. We found remarkably high proportions of a diverse array of anaerobic bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis. Atopobium and Sneathia were dominant genera, and interestingly, we demonstrated the presence of Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota. Moreover, longitudinal analysis demonstrated that the temporal dynamics of the vaginal microbiota were considerably individualized. Finally, network analysis revealed that vaginal pH may influence the temporal dynamics of the vaginal microbiota, suggesting that inter-subject variability of vaginal bacterial communities could be mirrored in inter-subject variation in correlation profiles of species with each other and with vaginal pH over time. Our results suggest that the northern pig-tailed macaque could be an ideal animal model for prospective investigation of the mechanisms by which vaginal microbiota influence susceptibility and resistance to HIV-1 infection in the context of highly polymicrobial and Lactobacillus-dominated states.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China;Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650204, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China;Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650204, China.
authors.forename: Ai-Hua
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China;School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei Anhui 230026, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Kunming Primate Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China.
authors.forename: Long-Bao
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China. zhangzhigang@mail.kiz.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China;Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650204, China;Kunming Primate Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China.zhengyt@mail.kiz.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yong-Tang
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002417:Cattle; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D008251:Macaca / Q000382:microbiology*; D064307:Microbiota; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D013997:Time Factors; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Bacterial vaginosis; Macaque; Networks; Temporal dynamics; Vaginal microbiome