Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29310579›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2018

Gene-trait matching across the Bifidobacterium longum pan-genome reveals considerable diversity in carbohydrate catabolism among human infant strains.

Silvia Arboleya, Francesca Bottacini, Mary O'Connell-Motherway, C Anthony Ryan, R Paul Ross, Douwe van Sinderen, Catherine Stanton

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC genomics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
12.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Review
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  5. Article
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  7. Article
  8. Article
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  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Gene-trait matching amongFrontiers in microbiology · 2025
    Article
  14. A NovelAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Article
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  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. A NovelMicroorganisms · 2024
    Article
  20. Article

4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Silvia ArboleyaAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Francesca BottaciniAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Mary O'Connell-MotherwayAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
C Anthony RyanAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
R Paul RossAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Douwe van SinderenAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Catherine StantonAPC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. Catherine.Stanton@teagasc.ie.
APC Microbiome Institute · IEUniversity College Cork · IETeagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority · IE

Funding

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 10FDairyScience Foundation Ireland SFI/12/RC/2273
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBifidobacterium longum is a common member of the human gut microbiota and is frequently present at high numbers in the gut microbiota of humans throughout life, thus indicative of a close symbiotic host-microbe relationship. Different mechanisms may be responsible for the high competitiveness of this taxon in its human host to allow stable establishment in the complex and dynamic intestinal microbiota environment. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic and metabolic diversity in a set of 20 B. longum strains, most of which had previously been isolated from infants, by performing whole genome sequencing and comparative analysis, and to analyse their carbohydrate utilization abilities using a gene-trait matching approach.

resultsWe analysed their pan-genome and their phylogenetic relatedness. All strains clustered in the B. longum ssp. longum phylogenetic subgroup, except for one individual strain which was found to cluster in the B. longum ssp. suis phylogenetic group. The examined strains exhibit genomic diversity, while they also varied in their sugar utilization profiles. This allowed us to perform a gene-trait matching exercise enabling the identification of five gene clusters involved in the utilization of xylo-oligosaccharides, arabinan, arabinoxylan, galactan and fucosyllactose, the latter of which is an abundant human milk oligosaccharide (HMO).

conclusionsThe results showed high diversity in terms of genes and predicted glycosyl-hydrolases, as well as the ability to metabolize a large range of sugars. Moreover, we corroborate the capability of B. longum ssp. longum to metabolise HMOs. Ultimately, their intraspecific genomic diversity and the ability to consume a wide assortment of carbohydrates, ranging from plant-derived carbohydrates to HMOs, may provide an explanation for the competitive advantage and persistence of B. longum in the human gut microbiome.

Indexed as

Carbohydrate MetabolismGenes, BacterialGenome, BacterialQuantitative Trait, HeritableBifidobacterium longumBiodiversityDatabases, GeneticGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansInfantInfant, NewbornPhylogenyProbioticsQuantitative Trait LociBifidobacterium longumCarbohydratesComparative genomesGene-trait-matchingMicrobiotaPan-genome

Identifiers

PMID29310579
PMCPMC5759876
OpenAlexW2783183417

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.