16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing data of mouse and piglet fecal microbiota
This dataset contains 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data from fecal samples of microbiota-depleted mice receiving fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from low-birth-weight (LBW) and normal-birth-weight (NBW) piglets with divergent postnatal growth trajectories. Donor piglets were classified as NN (NBW with normal growth), LL (LBW with persistent stunting), or LN (LBW with catch-up growth by day 28). FMT was performed using feces collected at day 28, a key time point for weaning and dietary fiber utilization. Recipient mice were monitored for body weight gain, xylan and ß-glucan utilization, colonic epithelial proliferation (Ki67? cell counts), colonic IGF-1 levels, and susceptibility to DSS-induced colitis. Mice colonized with microbiota from LN piglets showed enhanced body weight, improved fiber fermentation, increased colonic Ki67? cells and IGF-1 levels, and reduced colitis severity, whereas microbiota from LL piglets induced colonic damage and poorer growth outcomes. The 16S profiles in this dataset enable comparison of gut microbial community structures associated with these distinct functional phenotypes and support the identification of Blautia/Blautia wexlerae as candidate growth-promoting taxa.