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Generation, Maintenance, and Identification of Germ-Free Zebrafish Models from Larvae to Juvenile Stages
Published on: April 12, 2024
Evidence for a core gut microbiota in the zebrafish
Guus Roeselers1, Erika K Mittge, W Zac Stephens
1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
The ISME Journal
|April 8, 2011
Summary
Gut microbial communities in zebrafish remain similar between wild and domesticated populations, indicating a shared core microbiota. The zebrafish gut environment selects for specific bacteria regardless of host origin or domestication status.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Ecology
- Genomics
Background:
- Experimental analysis of host-microbiota interactions often uses domesticated animals, raising questions about the representativeness of their gut microbial communities compared to wild counterparts.
- The utility of animal models for studying coevolved host-microbiota relationships hinges on the similarity of their gut microbiota to natural populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the gut bacterial communities of wild zebrafish with those from domesticated populations maintained in laboratory facilities.
- To determine if domestication and laboratory conditions alter the core gut microbiota of zebrafish.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to analyze and compare bacterial community structures.
- Gut microbiota from recently collected wild zebrafish were compared to those from zebrafish reared in multiple geographically distinct laboratory facilities for generations.
Main Results:
- Gut microbiota structure in domesticated zebrafish showed variations across different laboratory facilities, correlating with historical facility connections.
- Despite variations, a strikingly similar gut microbiota membership was observed between domesticated and wild zebrafish, revealing a shared core gut microbiota.
- The zebrafish intestinal habitat demonstrated a strong selective pressure for specific bacterial taxa.
Conclusions:
- The zebrafish intestinal habitat consistently selects for a core set of bacterial taxa.
- Domestication and laboratory rearing do not fundamentally disrupt the core gut microbiota composition in zebrafish.
- Zebrafish serve as a relevant model for studying host-microbiota interactions, even with variations in host provenance.
