Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41421358›Full record

ArticleCell genomics2026

Bacteriocin gene-mediated ecological adaptation of Bifidobacterium breve in the adult human gut.

Jingyu Wang, Xin Qian, Qing Li, Zhiying Jin, Na Liu, Jianxin Zhao, Wei Chen, Shaopu Wang, Peijun Tian

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell genomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. From predicted bacteriocins to ecological function.Current research in microbial sciences · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
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

9 authors.

Jingyu WangState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Xin QianState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Qing LiState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Zhiying JinState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Na LiuSchool of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Jianxin ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Wei ChenState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Shaopu WangDepartment of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. Electronic address: shaopu.wang@scu.edu.cn.
Peijun TianState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China. Electronic address: pjtian@jiangnan.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The ecological persistence of Bifidobacterium breve across life stages reflects adaptive strategies beyond the classical infant- versus adult-type dichotomy, historically attributed to differential nutrient utilization. Here, comparative genomics revealed no major differences in shared carbohydrate-related genes or accessory genome content between infant- and adult-derived strains. Instead, a distinct type III lanthipeptide bacteriocin cluster, lanKC, was specifically detected in adult-derived isolates. Functional assays combining gene knockout, in vitro co-cultivation, and human intervention demonstrated that lanKC enhances strain-level competitive fitness and promotes community stability. Phylogenetic and metagenomic analyses of 5,475 lanKC homologs and 6,122 infant gut metagenomes further suggested a possible early-life acquisition via intra-genus horizontal gene transfer. These findings uncover a previously unrecognized genetic basis underlying B. breve adaptation to the gut environment and support a multi-factorial model in which metabolic flexibility and interference competition jointly sustain bifidobacterial persistence and host-microbe symbiosis throughout life.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PhysiologicalBacteriocinsBifidobacterium breveGastrointestinal MicrobiomeAdultGene Transfer, HorizontalHumansInfantPhylogenySymbiosisBacteriocinsbacteriocinBifidobacterium breveecological fitnesshorizontal gene transfermicrobiome

Identifiers

PMID41421358
PMCPMC13069872

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.