PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jessika Consuegra
AU  - Théodore Grenier
AU  - Houssam Akherraz
AU  - Isabelle Rahioui
AU  - Hugo Gervais
AU  - Pedro da Silva
AU  - François Leulier
TI  - Metabolic cooperation among commensal bacteria supports <em>Drosophila</em> juvenile growth under nutritional stress
AID  - 10.1101/2020.05.27.119370
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.05.27.119370
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/05/27/2020.05.27.119370.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/05/27/2020.05.27.119370.full
AB  - The gut microbiota shapes animal growth trajectory in stressful nutritional environments, but the molecular mechanisms behind such physiological benefits remain poorly understood. The gut microbiota is mostly composed of bacteria, which construct metabolic networks among themselves and with the host. Until now, how the metabolic activities of the microbiota contribute to host juvenile growth remains unknown. Here, using Drosophila as a host model, we report that two of its major bacterial partners, Lactobacillus plantarum and Acetobacter pomorum engage in a beneficial metabolic dialogue that boosts host juvenile growth despite nutritional stress. We pinpoint that lactate, produced by L. plantarum, is utilized by A. pomorum as an additional carbon source, and A. pomorum provides essential amino-acids and vitamins to L. plantarum. Such bacterial cross-feeding provisions a set of anabolic metabolites to the host, which may foster host systemic growth despite poor nutrition.HIGHLIGHTSL. plantarum feeds lactate to A. pomorumA. pomorum supplies essential amino acids and vitamins to L. plantarumMicrobiota metabolic dialogue boosts Drosophila’s larval growthLactate utilization by Acetobacter releases anabolic metabolites to larvaeCompeting Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.