Pangenome analysis of : a collection of diverse bile acid and steroid metabolizing commensal gut bacterial strains.

is a commensal gut bacterium capable of forming the secondary bile acids deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid from the primary bile acids cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, respectively, as well as converting glucocorticoids to androgens. Historically, only two strains, ATCC 35704 and VPI 12708, have been characterized and to any significant extent. The formation of secondary bile acids is important in maintaining normal gastrointestinal function, in regulating the structure of the gut microbiome, in the etiology of such diseases such as cancers of the GI tract, and in the prevention of infection.

: an endocrine keystone species in the mammalian gut.

is a keystone human gut microbial taxonomic group that, while low in abundance, has a disproportionate effect on bile acid and steroid metabolism in the mammalian gut. Numerous studies indicate that the two most studied strains of (i.e.

Another renaissance for bile acid gastrointestinal microbiology.

The field of bile acid microbiology in the gastrointestinal tract is going through a current rebirth after a peak of activity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This renewed activity is a result of many factors, including the discovery near the turn of the century that bile acids are potent signalling molecules and technological advances in next-generation sequencing, computation, culturomics, gnotobiology, and metabolomics. We describe the current state of the field with particular emphasis on questions that have remained unanswered for many decades in both bile acid synthesis by the host and metabolism by the gut microbiota.

Complete genome sequence of the archetype bile acid 7α-dehydroxylating bacterium, VPI12708, isolated from human feces, circa 1980.

strain VPI12708 serves as model organism to study bile acid 7α-dehydroxylating pathways. The closed circular genome of VPI12708 was obtained by PacBio sequencing. The genome is composed of 3,983,052 bp, with 47.