Unique and shared responses of the gut microbiota to prolonged fasting: a comparative study across five classes of vertebrate hosts.

Many animals face unpredictable food sources and periods of prolonged fasting, which likely present significant challenges to gut microorganisms. While several studies have demonstrated that fasting impacts the gut microbiota, experiments have not been carried out in a comparative context. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to document changes in colonic and cecal microbiomes of animals representing five classes of vertebrates at four time points through prolonged fasting: tilapia, toads, geckos, quail, and mice. We found differences in the starvation-induced changes in the microbiome across host species and across gut regions. Microbial phylogenetic diversity increased as a result of fasting in the colons of fish, toads, and mice, while quail exhibited a decrease in diversity; geckos exhibited no change. Microbial diversity in the cecum decreased in fish and exhibited no change in mice. Alterations in relative abundances of microbial taxa varied across hosts. Fish exhibited the most significant changes due to fasting, while geckos maintained a stable community over 28 days of fasting. We uncovered several shared responses of the microbiota across hosts. For example, all tetrapods exhibited decreases in the abundances of Coprobacillus and Ruminococcus in response to fasting. We also discuss host-mediated physiological mechanisms that may underlie these community changes.

Targeted 13C enrichment of lipid and protein pools in the body reveals circadian changes in oxidative fuel mixture during prolonged fasting: a case study using Japanese quail.

Many animals undergo extended periods of fasting. During these fasts, animals oxidize a ratio of macronutrients dependent on the nutritional, energetic, and hydric requirements of the fasting period. In this study, we use Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), a bird with natural intermediate fasting periods, to examine macronutrient use during a 6d fast. We raised groups of quail on isotopically labeled materials ((13)C-1-leucine, (13)C-U-glucose, or (13)C-1-palmitic acid) with the intent of labeling specific macronutrient/tissue pools in each treatment, and then traced their use as fuels by measuring the δ(13)C values of breath CO2. Based on changes in δ(13)C values during the fast, it appears that the carbohydrate label,(13)C-U-glucose, was largely incorporated into the lipid pool and thus breath samples ultimately reflected lipid use rather than carbohydrate use. In the lipid treatment, the (13)C-1-palmitic acid faithfully labeled the lipid pool and was reflected in the kinetics δ(13)C values in breath CO2 during the fast. Endogenous lipid oxidation peaked after 24h of fasting and remained constantly elevated thereafter. The protein label,(13)C-1-leucine, showed clear diurnal periods of protein sparing and degradation, with maximal rates of protein oxidation occurring at night and the lowest rates occurring during the day time. This stable isotope tracer method provides a noninvasive approach to study the nutrient dynamics of fasting animals and should provide new insights into how different types of animals use specific nutrient pools during fasting and possibly other non-steady physiological states.