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. 2021 Jan 13:7:595905.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.595905. eCollection 2020.

Analysis of Human Faecal Host Proteins: Responsiveness to 10-Week Dietary Intervention Modifying Dietary Protein Intake in Elderly Males

Jessica L Gathercole  1 , Anita J Grosvenor  1 , Erin Lee  1 , Ancy Thomas  1 , Cameron J Mitchell  2   3 , Nina Zeng  3 , Randall F D'Souza  3   4 , Farha Ramzan  3 , Pankaja Sharma  3 , Scott O Knowles  5 , Nicole C Roy  3   5   6   7   8 , Anders Sjödin  9 , Karl-Heinz Wagner  10 , Amber M Milan  3   5 , Sarah M Mitchell  3 , David Cameron-Smith  3   11
Affiliations

Analysis of Human Faecal Host Proteins: Responsiveness to 10-Week Dietary Intervention Modifying Dietary Protein Intake in Elderly Males

Jessica L Gathercole et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Faecal proteomics targeting biomarkers of immunity and inflammation have demonstrated clinical application for the identification of changes in gastrointestinal function. However, there are limited comprehensive analyses of the host faecal proteome and how it may be influenced by dietary factors. To examine this, the Homo sapiens post-diet proteome of older males was analysed at the completion of a 10-week dietary intervention, either meeting the minimum dietary protein recommendations (RDA; n = 9) or twice the recommended dietary allowance (2RDA, n = 10). The host faecal proteome differed markedly between individuals, with only a small subset of proteins present in ≥ 60% of subjects (14 and 44 proteins, RDA and 2RDA, respectively, with only 7 common to both groups). No differences were observed between the diet groups on the profiles of host faecal proteins. Faecal proteins were detected from a wide range of protein classes, with high inter-individual variation and absence of obvious impact in response to diets with markedly different protein intake. This suggests that well-matched whole food diets with two-fold variation in protein intake maintained for 10 weeks have minimal impact on human faecal host proteins.

Keywords: dietary protein; faeces; gastrointestinal health; host proteins; proteomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic showing the preparation of faecal samples for proteomics, fractionation, analysis on LC-MS/MS and data analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Showing the number of all identified proteins unique to each diet or common to each diet (A); and proteins present in at least 60% of one diet group (n = 6 for both diet groups) observed in either one or both diet groups (B).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of protein classes present >2% of reads. NA refers to unassigned proteins. (A) includes the 9 participants on the RDA diet and (B) refers to the results from the 10 participants in the 2RDA diet.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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