Analysis of Akkermansia muciniphila in Mulberry Galacto-Oligosaccharide Medium by Comparative Transcriptomics

Akkermansia muciniphila is a common member of the human gut microbiota and belongs to the phylum Verrucomicrobia. Decreased levels of A. muciniphila are associated with many diseases, so it is thought to be a beneficial resident of the intestinal mucosal layer. In this study, we found that different prebiotics promoted the proliferation of A. muciniphila, and mulberry galacto-oligosaccharide (MGO) had the greatest effect. We cultured A. muciniphila in a brian heart infusion (BHI) medium containing 5% galactooligosaccharides (GOS), mulberry polysaccharide solution (MPS), and MGO, respectively, and transcriptomic analyses were performed. The results showed that, after 6 days of cultivation, the numbers of upregulated functional genes (based on Gene Ontology) were approximately 0.7% and 19% higher with MPS and MGO, respectively, than with GOS. Analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes revealed that, when A. muciniphila was cultured with MGO, genes that were upregulated were enriched in carbohydrate metabolism, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. Upregulated genes included galM and pfkA in galactose metabolism, and pgi, pfk, fbaA, tpiA, gapA, pgk, gpml, eno, pyk, and lpd in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway. Real-time quantitative PCR results were consistent with the RNA-Seq data. Our research provides valuable information that can be used for functional application of A. muciniphila and MGO.