Nutrient niche specificity for glycosaminoglycans

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) found in the mucosal layer can be used as nutrients by intestinal bacteria such as Bacteroides. In some disease states, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, GAG abundances are altered, and it is therefore important to understand GAG degradation and utilization by members of the gut microbiota. We used growth assays, transcriptomics and comparaive genomics to study degradation ability and cross-feeding of numerous Bacteroides species for chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan to further this understanding. Sequencing was performed at the Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna under the project ID JMF-2012-5.