Bilirubin reductase shows host-specific associations in animal large intestines

Animal gastrointestinal tracts contain diverse metabolites, including various host-derived compounds that gut-associated microbes interact with. Here, we explore the diversity and evolution of bilirubin reductase, a bacterial enzyme that metabolizes the host-derived tetrapyrrole bilirubin, performing a key role in the animal heme degradation pathway. Through an analysis of the bilirubin reductase phylogeny and predicted structures, we found that the enzyme family can be divided into three distinct clades with different structural features. Using these clade definitions, we analyzed metagenomic sequencing data from multiple animal species, finding that bilirubin reductase is significantly enriched in the large intestines of animals and that the clades exhibit differences in distribution among animals. Combined with phylogenetic signal analysis, we find that the bilirubin reductase clades exhibit significant associations with specific animals and animal physiological traits like gastrointestinal anatomy and diet. These patterns demonstrate that bilirubin reductase is specifically adapted to the anoxic lower gut environment of animals and that its evolutionary history is complex, involving adaptation to a diverse collection of animals harboring bilirubin-reducing microbes. The findings suggest that bilirubin reductase evolution has been shaped by the host environment, providing a new perspective on heme metabolism in animals and highlighting the importance of the microbiome in animal physiology and evolution.