We’re excited to share the findings of a new Kleiner Lab publication that was recently featured in a press release by NC State! Published in The ISME Journal, the study explores how different dietary protein sources can dramatically alter both the composition and function of the gut microbiome.
Led by Dr. Alfredo Blakeley-Ruiz and Dr. Manuel Kleiner, and co-authored by several members of the Kleiner Lab, the research used an integrated metagenomics-metaproteomics approach to study how proteins from sources like egg whites, brown rice, soy, and yeast impact the microbial communities in the guts of mice.
Key findings include:
- Protein source alone significantly reshaped the microbiome every time it was changed.
- Diets based on egg whites and brown rice increased microbial amino acid degradation.
- Some protein sources, particularly egg white, triggered a microbial response similar to mucin degradation, potentially impacting gut health.
- Glycans (complex sugars attached to proteins) played an unexpected role in altering microbial function.
This work sheds new light on how what we eat can influence not just which microbes live in our gut, but what they’re doing—a crucial step in understanding diet-related health outcomes and gut microbiota–mediated diseases.
Read the full NC State press release:
Protein Sources Change the Gut Microbiome – Some Drastically (link)
Read the paper:
“Dietary protein source alters gut microbiota composition and function” in The ISME Journal
DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf048 (link)
Congratulations to all the authors on this impactful study!
#KleinerLab #MicrobiomeResearch #Metaproteomics #GutHealth #NCStateResearch #ISMEJournal #DietAndMicrobiome #MultiOmics