Rhythmicity of the intestinal microbiota is regulated by gender and the host circadian clock

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 112; no. 33; pp. 10479 - 10484
• Main Authors: Liang, Xue, Bushman, Frederic D., FitzGerald, Garret A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 18.08.2015; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Algorithms; Animals; ARNTL Transcription Factors - genetics; Bacteria; Biological Sciences; Circadian Rhythm; Feces; Female; Gender; Gene Deletion; Intestines - microbiology; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Microbiota; Oscillometry; Principal Component Analysis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - metabolism; Rodents; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Sex Factors; Bmal1 gene; microbiome; gender differences; circadian rhythm
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1501305112

In mammals, multiple physiological, metabolic, and behavioral processes are subject to circadian rhythms, adapting to changing light in the environment. Here we analyzed circadian rhythms in the fecal microbiota of mice using deep sequencing, and found that the absolute amount of fecal bacteria and the abundance of Bacteroidetes exhibited circadian rhythmicity, which was more pronounced in female mice. Disruption of the host circadian clock by deletion ofBmal1, a gene encoding a core molecular clock component, abolished rhythmicity in the fecal microbiota composition in both genders.Bmal1deletion also induced alterations in bacterial abundances in feces, with differential effects based on sex. Thus, although host behavior, such as time of feeding, is of recognized importance, here we show that sex interacts with the host circadian clock, and they collectively shape the circadian rhythmicity and composition of the fecal microbiota in mice.