title: A key genetic factor for fucosyllactose utilization affects infant gut microbiota development.
abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated that gut microbiota development influences infants' health and subsequent host physiology. However, the factors shaping the development of the microbiota remain poorly understood, and the mechanisms through which these factors affect gut metabolite profiles have not been extensively investigated. Here we analyse gut microbiota development of 27 infants during the first month of life. We find three distinct clusters that transition towards Bifidobacteriaceae-dominant microbiota. We observe considerable differences in human milk oligosaccharide utilization among infant bifidobacteria. Colonization of fucosyllactose (FL)-utilizing bifidobacteria is associated with altered metabolite profiles and microbiota compositions, which have been previously shown to affect infant health. Genome analysis of infants' bifidobacteria reveals an ABC transporter as a key genetic factor for FL utilization. Thus, the ability of bifidobacteria to utilize FL and the presence of FL in breast milk may affect the development of the gut microbiota in infants, and might ultimately have therapeutic implications.
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7777-1602
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuki
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Kana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yahagi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Hoshitaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Taeko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Saya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.affiliation: Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo 117-8605, Japan.
authors.forename: Eishin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo 117-8605, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Yakult Central Institute, 5-11 Izumi, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.|Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.|National Institute of Genetics, Center for Information Biology, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8662-9958
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000502:physiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D014312:Trisaccharides; C035714:3'-fucosyllactose; C031420:2'-fucosyllactose