RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Genome Sequence of Segmented Filamentous Bacteria Present in the Human Intestine
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 813196
DO 10.1101/813196
A1 Hans Jonsson
A1 Luisa W. Hugerth
A1 John Sundh
A1 Anders F. Andersson
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/10/21/813196.abstract
AB Segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) colonize the small intestine of a variety of animals in a host-specific manner. SFB are physically attached to the host’s intestinal epithelium and affect several functions related to the immune system, among them IgA production and T-cell maturation. Until now, no human-specific SFB genome had been described. Here, we report the metagenomic reconstruction of an SFB genome from a human ileostomy sample. Phylogenomic analysis clusters the genome with the SFB genomes from mouse, rat and turkey, but the genome is genetically distinct, displaying 65 - 71% average amino acid identity to the other genomes, and is tentatively unique for the human small intestine. By screening human faecal metagenomic datasets, we identified individuals carrying sequences identical to the new SFB-genome. We thus conclude that a unique SFB variant exists in humans and we foresee a renewed interest in the elucidation of SFB functionality in this environment.