title: Increased fecal viral content associated with obesity in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the presence of total gut viral content in obese mice, and establish correlation with obesity associated metabolic measures and gut microbiome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fresh fecal samples were collected from normal and obese (Leptin deficient: Lep(ob/ob)) mice. Total viral DNA and RNA was isolated and quantified for establishing the correlation with metabolic measures and composition of gut bacterial communities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this report, we found that obese mice feces have higher viral contents in terms of total viral DNA and RNA (P < 0.001). Interestingly, these increased viral DNA and RNA content were tightly correlated with metabolic measures, i.e., body weight, fat mass and fasting blood glucose. Total viral content were positively correlated with firmicutes (R(2) > 0.6), whilst negatively correlated with bacteroidetes and bifidobacteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests the strong correlation of increased viral population into the gut of obese mice and opens new avenues to explore the role of gut virome in pathophysiology of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Hariom Yadav, Department of Nutritional Biotechnology, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 160071, India.
authors.forename: Hariom
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.affiliation: Hariom Yadav, Department of Nutritional Biotechnology, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 160071, India.
authors.forename: Shalini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: Hariom Yadav, Department of Nutritional Biotechnology, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 160071, India.
authors.forename: Ravinder
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagpal
authors.affiliation: Hariom Yadav, Department of Nutritional Biotechnology, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 160071, India.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marotta
keywords: DNA; Fat mass; Gut; Microbiome; Obesity; RNA; Virome; Virus