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Volume 171, Issue 5

Roles of human colonic bacteria in pectin utilization and associated cross-feeding networks revealed using synthetic co-cultures Open Access

Graphical Abstract

Graphical Abstract

Combining genome analysis, pure culture and synthetic co-culture growth behaviour on a range of pectin-related substrates to reveal microbial interactions of human gut microbes in pectin fermentation.

Abstract

Dietary fibre is a crucial component of healthy diets via its action on the human gut microbiota, but fibre intake is well below current international dietary guidelines at the population level. Pectin is a fibre constituent in fruit and vegetables that has the promise to promote a healthy and diverse microbiota. It is a highly complex molecule, and its composition differs between plants. Here, we assessed the ability of a panel of 23 human gut bacteria to ferment pectins extracted from different plants based on their genome carriage of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and their growth in pure culture on several mono-, oligo- and polysaccharides, as well as pectins from different plant sources. Growth behaviour was overall in good agreement with CAZyme carriage, and the results were used to design synthetic co-culture communities with different combinations of pectin degraders, pectin cross-feeders and background strains not expected to play a major role in pectin degradation. For pectin degraders, DSM 3376 outcompeted DSM 1447 and DSM 18205 which appeared to act more as a cross-feeder in the presence of DSM 3376. Between the cross-feeders, M50/1 likely utilized breakdown products from the pectin backbone and side chains, whereas A2-165 grew better in co-culture on homogalacturonan-rich pectins. Our work will help to explain individual-specific responses to pectin intake based on microbiota compositional variation and contribute to the design of personalized dietary strategies to optimize the microbiota.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): carbohydrate metabolism , cross-feeding , dietary fibre , human gut microbiota , pectin and synthetic co-culture
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark
    • Principal Award Recipient: BirgitteZeuner
  • DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark
    • Principal Award Recipient: JesperHolck
  • Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
    • Principal Award Recipient: PetraLouis
  • Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
    • Principal Award Recipient: WendyRussell
  • Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
    • Principal Award Recipient: GrahamHorgan
  • Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
    • Principal Award Recipient: FredaFarquharson
  • Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
    • Principal Award Recipient: MichaelSolvang
© 2025 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.
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2025-05-29
2026-04-14

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/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001559
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Roles of human colonic bacteria in pectin utilization and associated cross-feeding networks revealed using synthetic co-cultures
Microbiology 171, 001559 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001559
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001559
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001559
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