Preprint
Dietary fiber selectively regulates intestinal persistence of probiotic bifidobacteria
bioRxiv
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Preprints
06/08/2026
DOI: 10.64898/2026.06.06.730603
PMCID: PMC13278065
PMID: 42327326
Abstract
Bifidobacteria dominate the gut microbiota of breast-fed infants, and are strongly associated with human health, including immune regulation, colonization resistance, and protection against inflammation. However, bifidobacteria persist at high abundance after weaning in only a subset of individuals, and the factors that regulate intestinal persistence of bifidobacteria are poorly understood. Using gnotobiotic mouse models, we identified a common dietary fiber, raffinose, as a critical determinant of bifidobacterial persistence during microbial transitions associated with weaning. Bifidobacterial persistence depends on an intact raffinose utilization operon and is associated with disease resistance and restrained inflammation in adult mice. Specific dietary fiber recommendations commencing at weaning are a potential strategy to maintain bifidobacteria persistence beyond infancy, with potential long-term benefits for host resilience and reduced risk of inflammatory disease.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Dietary fiber selectively regulates intestinal persistence of probiotic bifidobacteria
- Creators
- Garam Choi - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyShruti Chatterjee - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUrmi Shah - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyTae Hyung Won - Cornell UniversityAlexandros Skouris - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyJaehyeon Kim - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyWaleed Mujib - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyHaipeng Sun - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyMarissa A. Fontaine - Cornell UniversityAdriana Messyasz - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyAlexander Lemenze - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyDavid K. Meyerholz - University of IowaMaría G. Domínguez-Bello - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyFrank C. Schroeder - Cornell UniversityDouwe van Sinderen - APC Microbiome InstituteLok Yin Roy WongNicholas J. Bessman - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Publication Details
- bioRxiv
- DOI
- 10.64898/2026.06.06.730603
- PMID
- 42327326
- PMCID
- PMC13278065
- eISSN
- 2692-8205
- Publisher
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Preprints
- Language
- English
- Date posted
- 06/08/2026
- Academic Unit
- Pathology
- Record Identifier
- 9985175373302771
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