IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-55845-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Selective utilization of medicinal polysaccharides by human gut Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species

Author

Listed:
  • Zepeng Qu

    (Taipa
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Hongbin Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Ji Yang

    (Guangdong Pharmaceutical University)

  • Linggang Zheng

    (Taipa
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jumin Huang

    (Macau)

  • Ziming Wang

    (Macau)

  • Chun Xie

    (Macau)

  • Wenlong Zuo

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xiong Xia

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Lin Sun

    (Northeast Normal University)

  • Yifa Zhou

    (Northeast Normal University)

  • Ying Xie

    (Guangzhou)

  • Jingguang Lu

    (Taipa)

  • Yizhun Zhu

    (Taipa)

  • Lili Yu

    (Taipa)

  • Lihua Liu

    (Yanbian University)

  • Hua Zhou

    (Guangzhou)

  • Lei Dai

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Elaine Lai-Han Leung

    (Macau
    University of)

Abstract

Human gut Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species play crucial roles in human health and are known for their capacity to utilize diverse polysaccharides. Understanding how these bacteria utilize medicinal polysaccharides is foundational for developing polysaccharides-based prebiotics and drugs. Here, we systematically mapped the utilization profiles of 20 different medicinal polysaccharides by 28 human gut Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species. The growth profiles exhibited substantial variation across different bacterial species and medicinal polysaccharides. Ginseng polysaccharides promoted the growth of multiple Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species; in contrast, Dendrobium polysaccharides selectively promoted the growth of Bacteroides uniformis. This distinct utilization profile was associated with genomic variation in carbohydrate-active enzymes, rather than monosaccharides composition variation among medicinal polysaccharides. Through comparative transcriptomics and genetical manipulation, we validated that the polysaccharide utilization locus PUL34_Bu enabled Bacteroides uniformis to utilize Dendrobium polysaccharides (i.e. glucomannan). In addition, we found that the GH26 enzyme in PUL34_Bu allowed Bacteroides uniformis to utilize multiple plant-derived mannan. Overall, our results revealed the selective utilization of medicinal polysaccharide by Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species and provided insights into the use of polysaccharides in engineering the human gut microbiome.

Suggested Citation

  • Zepeng Qu & Hongbin Liu & Ji Yang & Linggang Zheng & Jumin Huang & Ziming Wang & Chun Xie & Wenlong Zuo & Xiong Xia & Lin Sun & Yifa Zhou & Ying Xie & Jingguang Lu & Yizhun Zhu & Lili Yu & Lihua Liu &, 2025. "Selective utilization of medicinal polysaccharides by human gut Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-55845-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-55845-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-55845-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-55845-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-55845-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.