Leech, T orcid.org/0000-0002-9504-0739, McDowall, L orcid.org/0000-0001-8425-5702, Hopkins, KP orcid.org/0000-0002-3251-7093 et al. (3 more authors) (2021) Social environment drives sex and age-specific variation in Drosophila melanogaster microbiome composition and predicted function. Molecular Ecology, 30 (22). pp. 5831-5843. ISSN 0962-1083
Abstract
Social environments influence multiple traits of individuals including immunity, stress and ageing, often in sex-specific ways. The composition of the microbiome (the assemblage of symbiotic microorganisms within a host) is determined by environmental factors and the host's immune, endocrine and neural systems. The social environment could alter host microbiomes extrinsically by affecting transmission between individuals, probably promoting homogeneity in the microbiome of social partners. Alternatively, intrinsic effects arising from interactions between the microbiome and host physiology (the microbiota-gut-brain axis) could translate social stress into dysbiotic microbiomes, with consequences for host health. We investigated how manipulating social environments during larval and adult life-stages altered the microbiome composition of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. We used social contexts that particularly alter the development and lifespan of males, predicting that any intrinsic social effects on the microbiome would therefore be sex-specific. The presence of adult males during the larval stage significantly altered the microbiome of pupae of both sexes. In adults, same-sex grouping increased bacterial diversity in both sexes. Importantly, the microbiome community structure of males was more sensitive to social contact at older ages, an effect partially mitigated by housing focal males with young rather than coaged groups. Functional analyses suggest that these microbiome changes impact ageing and immune responses. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the substantial effects of the social environment on individual health are mediated through intrinsic effects on the microbiome, and provides a model for understanding the mechanistic basis of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Leech, T., McDowall, L., Hopkins, K. P., Sait, S. M., Harrison, X. A., & Bretman, A. (2021). Social environment drives sex and age-specific variation in Drosophila melanogaster microbiome composition and predicted function. Molecular Ecology, 30, 5831– 5843, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16149. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited. |
Keywords: | ageing; development; infection; microbiota-gut-brain axis; stress |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 27 Aug 2021 09:42 |
Last Modified: | 08 Jan 2025 15:00 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/mec.16149 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:177481 |