A gene catalogue of Rhinopithecus gut microbiome provides new insights
into dietary adaptation of foregut fermenting animals
Abstract
Gut microbiome gene catalogues have advanced the knowledge of
host-microbiome interactions in many mammals. Snub-nosed monkeys
(Rhinopithecus spp) are folivores with foregut fermentation which is
similar to ruminants, but their gut microbiota lacks a comprehensive
description. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive gene
catalogue by performing metagenomic analysis on 143 wild snub-nosed
monkeys and compare it to that of ruminants and monogastric animals. Our
results demonstrate the classification and functional characteristics of
the gut microbiome of snub-nosed monkeys and identified a set of core
genera in these mammals. Moreover, we found that the gut of snub-nosed
monkeys and other herbivores was enriched with more bacteria and enzymes
related to the degradation of structural carbohydrates, indicating the
importance of gut microbiota for dietary adaptation. Our study expands
resources for gut microbiome studies of nonhuman primates and provide
new insights into the evolutionary route of foregut fermenting animals
during dietary adaptation.