Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2020 Jun 1;96(6). doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa090.
Host-associated microbiomes shape and are shaped by myriad processes that ultimately delineate their symbiotic functions. Whereas a host's stable traits, such as its lineage, relate to gross aspects of its microbiome structure, transient factors, such as its varying physiological state, relate to shorter term, structural variation. Our understanding of these relationships in primates derives principally from anthropoid studies and would benefit from a broader, comparative perspective. We thus examined the vaginal, labial and axillary microbiota of captive, female ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and Coquerel's sifakas (Propithecus coquereli), across an ovarian cycle, to better understand their relation to stable (e.g. species identity/mating system, body site) and transient (e.g. ovarian hormone concentration, forest access) host features. We used 16S amplicon sequencing to determine microbial composition and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to measure serum hormone concentrations. We found marked variation in microbiota diversity and community composition between lemur species and their body sites. Across both host species, microbial diversity was significantly correlated with ovarian hormone concentrations: negatively with progesterone and positively with estradiol. The hosts' differential forest access related to the diversity of environmental microbes, particularly in axillary microbiomes. Such transient endogenous and exogenous modulators have potential implications for host reproductive health and behavioral ecology.
宿主相关微生物组通过无数过程塑造并受其影响，这些过程最终划定了它们的共生功能。虽然宿主的稳定特征，如其谱系，与微生物组结构的宏观方面有关，但短暂的因素，如其不断变化的生理状态，与更短期的结构变化有关。我们对灵长类动物中这些关系的理解主要来自于类人猿的研究，如果能从更广泛的比较角度来看，将会受益匪浅。因此，我们在卵巢周期内检查了圈养雌性环尾狐猴（Lemur catta）和 Coquerel 的狐猴（Propithecus coquereli）的阴道、唇和腋窝微生物组，以更好地了解它们与稳定（例如物种身份/交配系统、身体部位）和短暂（例如卵巢激素浓度、森林进入）宿主特征的关系。我们使用 16S 扩增子测序来确定微生物组成，并用酶联免疫吸附测定法测量血清激素浓度。我们发现狐猴物种及其身体部位之间的微生物多样性和群落组成存在明显差异。在这两个宿主物种中，微生物多样性与卵巢激素浓度呈显著负相关：与孕酮呈负相关，与雌二醇呈正相关。宿主对森林的不同利用与环境微生物的多样性有关，特别是在腋窝微生物组中。这种短暂的内源性和外源性调节剂可能对宿主的生殖健康和行为生态学产生影响。
