Constructing a network graph of correlations between microbial taxa and fecal metabolites in the gut of captive marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has a well-characterized gut microbiome in captivity, but how gut microbiota interact with each other over time is not yet known. To help answer this, we characterized interactions in the gut microbiome of the common marmoset by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient between 16S genera abundance and targeted metabolomics data collected from 10 marmosets (6 males and 4 females). Samples were collected over two 20-day collection periods, for which there was a 3-week gap between the first and second collection period. After processing collected samples, we visualized significant correlations (defined by q < 0.05 after FDR adjustment) in association network graphs to find genera and metabolites that exhibit a high degree of associations, marking them as highly influential in the microbiome. Clostridiaceae Clostridium sensu stricto 1 was among the highest-degree genera, being significantly associated with a large number of metabolites and other genera. It also had a high relative betweenness centrality and a negative correlation with the highly microbially connected genus Paraprevotella, indicating that it could be part of an “information bottleneck” within the microbe-microbe interaction network. Among the high-degree metabolites were the bile acids and several amino acids including ?-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), Taurine, and Lysine. Metabolites shared the strongest degree of correlation with other metabolites, giving credence to the interpretation of correlation as reflecting true covariation over time.