Microbial dysbiosis in the gut is associated with
human diseases, and variations in mucus alter gut microbiota.
Therefore, we explored the effects of mucin on the gut microbiota
using a community of 19 synthetic gut microbial species. Cultivation
of these species in modified Gifu anaerobic medium (GAM)
supplemented with mucin before synthetic community assembly
facilitated substantial growth of the Bacteroides, Akkermansia,
and Clostridium genera. The results of 16S rRNA microbial
relative abundance profiling revealed more of the beneficial
microbes Collinsella, Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus, and Lactobacillus.
This increased acetate levels in the community cultivated with,
rather than without (control), mucin. We identified differences in
predicted cell function and metabolism between microbes
cultivated in GAM with and without mucin. Mucin not only
changed the composition of the gut microbial community, but also
modulated metabolic functions, indicating that it could help to
modulate microbial changes associated with human diseases. CLICK TO REVIEW