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Molecular analysis of gut microbiota in obesity among Indian individuals

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Abstract

Obesity is a consequence of a complex interplay between the host genome and the prevalent obesogenic factors among the modern communities. The role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of the disorder was recently discovered; however, 16S-rRNA-based surveys revealed compelling but community-specific data. Considering this, despite unique diets, dietary habits and an uprising trend in obesity, the Indian counterparts are poorly studied. Here, we report a comparative analysis and quantification of dominant gut microbiota of lean, normal, obese and surgically treated obese individuals of Indian origin. Representative gut microbial diversity was assessed by sequencing fecal 16S rRNA libraries for each group (n = 5) with a total of over 3000 sequences. We detected no evident trend in the distribution of the predominant bacterial phyla, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. At the genus level, the bacteria of genus Bacteroides were prominent among the obese individuals, which was further confirmed by qPCR (P < 0.05). In addition, a remarkably high archaeal density with elevated fecal SCFA levels was also noted in the obese group. On the contrary, the treated-obese individuals exhibited comparatively reduced Bacteroides and archaeal counts along with reduced fecal SCFAs. In conclusion, the study successfully identified a representative microbial diversity in the Indian subjects and demonstrated the prominence of certain bacterial groups in obese individuals; nevertheless, further studies are essential to understand their role in obesity.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the volunteers for their participation in the study. We also thank Ms Tulika M Jaokar for proofreading the manuscript. We also gratefully acknowledge the active support and encouragement provided by the former Director of National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) Padmashree Dr GC Mishra.

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Author notes

  1. Deepak P Patil

    Present address: Center for RNA biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43202, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune, 411 007, India

    Deepak P Patil, Dhiraj P Dhotre, Sachin G Chavan, Armiya Sultan, Milind S Patole & Yogesh S Shouche

  2. Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, University of Pune, Pune, 411 007, India

    Dhawal S Jain

  3. Microbial Sciences Division, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, 411 004, India

    Vikram B Lanjekar & Dilip R Ranade

  4. Laparo Obeso Centre, Ruby Hall Clinic, Sassoon Road, Pune, 411 001, India

    Jayshree Gangawani, Poonam S Shah, Jayshree S Todkar & Shashank Shah

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  1. Deepak P Patil
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Correspondence to Yogesh S Shouche.

Additional information

Corresponding editor: Sudha Bhattacharya

MS received 12 March 2012; accepted 29 June 2012

Corresponding editor: sudha bhattacharya

[Patil DP, Dhotre DP, Chavan SG, Sultan A, Jain DS, Lanjekar VB, Gangawani J, Shah PS, Todkar JS, Shah S, Ranade DR, Patole MS and Shouche YS 2012 Molecular analysis of gut microbiota in obesity among Indian individuals. J. Biosci. 37 1–11] DOI

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Patil, D.P., Dhotre, D.P., Chavan, S.G. et al. Molecular analysis of gut microbiota in obesity among Indian individuals. J Biosci 37, 647–657 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-012-9244-0

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