• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권7호
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• pp.1067-1071
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• 2020

To understand the formation of initial gut microbiota, three initial fecal samples were collected from two groups of two breast milk-fed (BM1) and seven formula milk-fed (FM1) infants, and the compositional changes in gut microbiota were determined using metagenomics. Compositional change analysis during week one showed that Bifidobacterium increased from the first to the third fecal samples in the BM1 group (1.3% to 35.1%), while Klebsiella and Serratia were detected in the third fecal sample of the FM1 group (4.4% and 34.2%, respectively), suggesting the beneficial effect of breast milk intake. To further understand the compositional changes during progression from infancy to childhood (i.e., from three weeks to five years of age), additional fecal samples were collected from four groups of two breast milk-fed infants (BM2), one formula milk-fed toddler (FM2), three weaning food-fed toddlers (WF), and three solid food-fed children (SF). Subsequent compositional change analysis and principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) revealed that the composition of the gut microbiota changed from an infant-like composition to an adult-like one in conjunction with dietary changes. Interestingly, overall gut microbiota composition analyses during the period of progression from infancy to childhood suggested increasing complexity of gut microbiota as well as emergence of a new species of bacteria capable of digesting complex carbohydrates in WF and SF groups, substantiating that diet type is a key factor in determining the composition of gut microbiota. Consequently, this study may be useful as a guide to understanding the development of initial gut microbiota based on diet.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권9호
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• pp.1111-1118
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• 2023

As a long-term condition that affects the airways and lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation, emphysema, breathlessness, chronic cough, and sputum production. Currently, the bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed for COPD are mostly off-target, warranting new disease management strategies. Accumulating research has revealed the gut-lung axis to be a bidirectional communication system. Cigarette smoke, a major exacerbating factor in COPD and lung inflammation, affects gut microbiota composition and diversity, causing gut microbiota dysbiosis, a condition that has recently been described in COPD patients and animal models. For this review, we focused on the gut-lung axis, which is influenced by gut microbial metabolites, bacterial translocation, and immune cell modulation. Further, we have summarized the findings of preclinical and clinical studies on the association between gut microbiota and COPD to provide a basis for using gut microbiota in therapeutic strategies against COPD. Our review also proposes that further research on probiotics, prebiotics, short-chain fatty acids, and fecal microbiota transplantation could assist therapeutic approaches targeting the gut microbiota to alleviate COPD.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제66권2호
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• pp.425-437
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• 2024

Exercise plays an important role in regulating energy homeostasis, which affects the diversity of the intestinal microbial community in humans and animals. To the best of the authors' knowledge, few studies have reported the associations between horse gut microbiota along with their predicted metabolic activities and the athletic ability of Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds living in Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the association between the gut microbiota and athletic performance in horses. This study sequenced the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the partial 16S rRNA genes obtained from racehorse fecal samples and compared the fecal microbiota between high- and low-performance Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds. Forty-nine fecal samples were divided into four groups: high-performance Jeju horses (HJ, n = 13), low-performance Jeju horses (LJ, n = 17), high-performance Thoroughbreds (HT, n = 9), and low-performance Thoroughbreds (LT, n = 10). The high-performance horse groups had a higher diversity of the bacterial community than the low-performance horse groups. Two common functional metabolic activities of the hindgut microbiota (i.e., tryptophan and succinate syntheses) were observed between the low-performance horse groups, indicating dysbiosis of gut microbiota and fatigue from exercise. On the other hand, high-performance horse groups showed enriched production of polyamines, butyrate, and vitamin K. The racing performance may be associated with the composition of the intestinal microbiota of Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds in Korea.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제63권5호
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• pp.1142-1158
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• 2021

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are metabolic products produced during the microbial fermentation of non-digestible fibers and play an important role in metabolic homeostasis and overall gut health. In this study, we investigated the effects of supplementation with multispecies probiotics (MSPs) containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, and Levilactobacillus brevis on the gut microbiota, and fecal SCFAs and lactate levels of weaned pigs. A total of 38 pigs weaned at 4 weeks of age were fed either a basal diet or a diet supplemented with MSPs for 6 weeks. MSP administration significantly increased the fecal concentrations of lactate (2.3-fold; p < 0.01), acetate (1.8-fold; p < 0.05), and formate (1.4-fold; p < 0.05). Moreover, MSP supplementation altered the gut microbiota of the pigs by significantly increasing the population of potentially beneficial bacteria such as Olsenella, Catonella, Catenibacterium, Acidaminococcus, and Ruminococcaceae. MSP supplementation also decreased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia and Chlamydia. The modulation of the gut microbiota was observed to be strongly correlated with the changes in fecal SCFAs and lactate levels. Furthermore, we found changes in the functional pathways present within the gut, which supports our findings that MSP modulates the gut microbiota and SCFAs levels in pigs. The results support the potential use of MSPs to improve the gut health of animals by modulating SCFAs production.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.265-274
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• 2014

장내 미생물은 사람의 장에 거주하는 미생물 집단으로 자신들의 효소를 이용해 사람에게 직접적인 에너지원이 되는 대사산물을 만들기도 하고 병원성 미생물의 침입에 대응하기도 하며 소화관의 구조와 기능유지 및 면역계의 발달에 영향을 미치는 등의 중요한 기능을 수행한다. 최근 다양한 분석기술을 통해 사람의 장에 있는 다종 및 다수의 미생물의 구성을 관찰하였고 그 결과 특정 질병을 지닌 사람의 장내 미생물 구성은 건강한 사람의 일반적인 구성과 다르다는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 발견을 바탕으로 건강한 사람의 대변에 있는 장내 미생물을 질병을 지닌 수여자에게 이식하는 fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) 시술이 각광을 받기 시작하였다. FMT는 장내 미생물의 구성변화로 인해 나타나는 여러 질병에 치료제로 적용할 수 있는데 특히 재발률이 높은 Clostridium difficile 감염에서 활발한 연구가 이루어지고 있다. 이 논문은 지금까지 밝혀진 장내 미생물과 관련된 질병들의 종류와 실제 질병에 FMT를 적용한 사례 등을 정리하고 장내 미생물을 이용하여 현재 연구개발 중인 치료제나 진단도구의 예를 기술함으로써 장내 미생물의 사람의 건강증진과 질병치료를 위한 차세대 생물학적 치료제로서의 가능성을 고찰하고자 한다.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.277-287
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• 2018

Current reports suggest that obesity is a serious global health issue. Emerging evidence has predicted strong links between obesity and the human gut microbiota. However, only a few such studies have been conducted in Asia, and the gut microbiota of lean and obese adult Asians remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the potential relationship between gut microbiota, body massindex (BMI), and metabolic parameters in adults from Thailand, where obesity is increasing rapidly. Fecal and blood samples were collected from 42 volunteers who were allocated into lean, overweight, and obese groups. The fecal microbiota was examined by quantitative PCR analysis. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Staphylococcus spp. and methanogens were most abundant in lean volunteers. Overweight volunteers majorly harbored Christensenella minuta and Akkermansia muciniphila, ${\gamma}-Proteobacteria$, and bacteria belonging to the genus Ruminococcus. Methanogens and bacteria belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes were negatively correlated with adiposity markers (BMI and waist circumference), but positive correlated with high-density lipoprotein, suggesting that they can be used as leanness markers. While some of our results agree with those of previous reports, results regarding the contributions of specific taxa to obesity were inconsistent. This is the first study to report the adult gut microbiota in Southeast Asian populations using molecular techniques and biochemical markers and provides a foundation for future studies in this field.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권5호
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• pp.747-755
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• 2021

The effects of the gut microbiome on both allergy and autoimmunity in dermatological diseases have been indicated in several recent studies. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a disease involving allergy and autoimmunity, and there is no report detailing the role of microbiota alterations in its development. This study was performed to identify the fecal microbial composition of CSU patients and investigate the different compositions and potential genetic functions on the fecal microbiota between CSU patients and normal controls. The gut microbiota of CSU patients and healthy individuals were obtained by 16s rRNA massive sequencing. Gut microbiota diversity and composition were compared, and bioinformatics analysis of the differences was performed. The gut microbiota composition results showed that Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia were dominant microbiota in CSU patients. The differential analysis showed that relative abundance of the Proteobacteria (p = 0.03), Bacilli (p = 0.04), Enterobacterales (p = 0.03), Enterobacteriaceae (p = 0.03) was significantly increased in CSU patients. In contrast, the relative abundance of Megamonas, Megasphaera, and Dialister (all p < 0.05) in these patients significantly decreased compared with healthy controls. The different microbiological compositions impacted normal gastrointestinal functions based on function prediction, resulting in abnormal pathways, including transport and metabolism. We found CSU patients exhibited gut microbiota dysbiosis compared with healthy controls. Our results indicated CSU is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis and pointed out that the bacterial taxa increased in CSU patients, which might be involved in the pathogenesis of CSU. These results provided clues for future microbial-based therapies on CSU.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제58권4호
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• pp.369-375
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• 2015

Meat from black pigs (BP) is in high demand compared with that from modern white pig (WP) breeds such as Landrace pigs owing to its high quality. However, the growth rate of black pigs is slower than that of white pig breeds. We investigated differences in the fecal microbial composition between white and black pigs to explore whether these breeds differed in the composition of their gut microbial communities. The swine gut microbiota was investigated using Illumina's MiSeq-based sequencing technology by targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Our results showed that the composition of the gut microbiota was significantly different between the two pig breeds. While the composition of the WP microbiota shifted according to the growth stage, fewer shifts in composition were observed for the BP gut microbiota. In addition, the WP gut microbiota showed a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio compared with that of BP. A high ratio between these phyla was previously reported as an obesity-linked microbiota composition. Moreover, the WP microbiota contained a significantly higher abundance of cellulolytic bacteria, suggesting a possibility of higher fiber digestion efficiency in WP compared to BP. These findings may be important factors affecting growth performance and energy-harvesting capacities in pigs. Our findings of differences in the gut microbiota composition between the two breeds may provide new leads to understand growth rate variation across pig breeds.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제64권1호
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• pp.75-81
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• 2021

최근의 장내 미생물 연구에 따르면 우리의 건강에 대한 장내 미생물의 중요한 역할이 밝혀졌다. 이에 매년 다양한 건강 기능 식품이 개발되고 있다. 기능성 식품의 개발에는 기능성 식품의 유익한 효과를 확인하기위한 in-vivo 실험이 포함되는 경우가 많다. 그 이유로 기능성 식품이 장내 미생물에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위해서 동물 실험을 자주 수행하고 있는 실정이다. 식품의 유익한 효과는 장내 미생물 생태가 식품에 의해 이동되어 유익한 박테리아의 증가, 잠재적인 병원성 박테리아의 감소 또는 둘 다에 따라 평가 될 수 있다. 동물 실험은 일반적으로 시간이 많이 걸리고 까다롭기 때문에 본 연구팀은 분변 미생물에 대한 in-vitro 연구로 식이 건강상의 이점을 얼마나 잘 반영하는지 조사했다. 본 연구에서는 두 사람의 배설물을 사용하여 15가지 음식이 장내미생물에 주는 영향을 조사했다. 결과는 식단에 따라 다양한 장내 미생물 이동을 보여 주었으며, 이는 일반적으로 알려진 유익한 식단(즉, 김치, 청국장)이 유산균과 비피도 박테리움을 증가 시켰음을 확인했다. 따라서, 우리는 식이 요법의 유익한 효과를 평가하기 위해 체외 분변 미생물균총 분석을 사용할 수 있다고 제안한다. 또한, 이 방법은 더 나아가 개인 맞춤형 식단을 설정하는 데 도움이 될 수 있다고 사료된다.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제64권4호
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• pp.399-405
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• 2021

비만은 우리 건강에 악영향을 미치며, 비만율은 전 세계적으로 증가하고 있어 그에 따라 비만을 예방하기 위한 많은 연구들이 진행되고 있다. 최근, 비만과 장내미생물 간의 상관관계가 많이 보고되고 있다. 장내미생물생태를 조사하기 위한 샘플은 분변 또는 맹장을 선택하고 있는데, 샘플 유형(분변 및 맹장)에 따라 미생물생태 결과에 미치는 영향에 대한 일반적인 이해가 없는 실정이다. 본 연구에서 마우스를 고지방 식이 섭취로 비만을 유발하여 식이 조절에 따른 분변 및 맹장의 장내미생물생태를 비교했다. 일반 식단(ND) 및 고지방 식단(HFD)은 6주령 ICR 마우스가 12주 간 섭취하도록 하였으며, 분변 및 맹장 샘플로부터 추출한 DNA에서 16S rRNA 유전자를 증폭하여 MiSeq으로 시퀀싱했다. 𝛼-diversity 결과는 식이 조절과 샘플 종류에 따라 장내미생물생태가 크게 영향을 받는다는 것을 보여준다. 분변과 맹장의 장내미생물생태의 taxonomic composition의 차이는 Family, Genus 수준에서 명확하게 확인되었다. Genus 수준에서 Faecalibaculum과 Lactobacillus는 맹장과 분변 샘플에서 각각 많은 것으로 나타났다. 일반적으로, 식단의 종류는 식이 조절을 적용한 연구 모델에서 샘플의 출처보다 미생물생태 변화에 더 상당한 영향을 미친다. 그러나, 장내미생물생태 분석 결과는 식단과 샘플의 종류(분변/맹장)를 모두 고려하여 신중하게 해석되어야 한다.