Cited by 44Infant Nutrition and HealthGut microbiota and healthProbiotics and Fermented Foods

Microbial Glycoside Hydrolases in the First Year of Life: An Analysis Review on Their Presence and Importance in Infant Gut

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Ioannou, Athanasia, Knol, Jan, Belzer, Clara·2021·Frontiers in Microbiology

Abstract

The first year of life is a crucial period during which the composition and functionality of the gut microbiota develop to stabilize and resemble that of adults. Throughout this process, the gut microbiota has been found to contribute to the maturation of the immune system, in gastrointestinal physiology, in cognitive advancement and in metabolic regulation. Breastfeeding, the “golden standard of infant nutrition,” is a cornerstone during this period, not only for its direct effect but also due to its indirect effect through the modulation of gut microbiota. Human milk is known to contain indigestible carbohydrates, termed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), that are utilized by intestinal microorganisms. Bacteria that degrade HMOs like Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis , Bifidobacterium bifidum , and Bifidobacterium breve dominate the infant gut microbiota during breastfeeding. A number of carbohydrate active enzymes have been found and identified in the infant gut, thus supporting the hypothesis that these bacteria are able to degrade HMOs. It is suggested that via resource-sharing and cross-feeding, the initial utilization of HMOs drives the interplay within the intestinal microbial communities. This is of pronounced importance since these communities promote healthy development and some of their species also persist in the adult microbiome. The emerging production and accessibility to metagenomic data make it increasingly possible to unravel the metabolic capacity of entire ecosystems. Such insights can increase understanding of how the gut microbiota in infants is assembled and makes it a possible target to support healthy growth. In this manuscript, we discuss the co-occurrence and function of carbohydrate active enzymes relevant to HMO utilization in the first year of life, based on publicly available metagenomic data. We compare the enzyme profiles of breastfed children throughout the first year of life to those of formula-fed infants.

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Authors
Ioannou, A., Knol, J., & Belzer, C.
Affiliations
  • Wageningen University & Research (NL)
  • Danone Nutricia Research (Netherlands) (NL)
Corresponding author
Belzer, Clara
Venue
Frontiers in Microbiology
Published
2021-05-28
Volume
12
Pages
631282-631282
ISSN
1664-302X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3170025091
Cited by
44
References
136
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3
FWCI
1.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Microbiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (GSGT.2019.002)
  • Danone Nutricia Research
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
Keywords
infant gut microbiota, human milk oligosaccharides, breastfeeding, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve, cross-feeding, bottle feeding, metagenomics, first year of life

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