The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut

The gut microbiome plays a key role in the maintenance of host metabolic homeostasis and health. Most metabolic processes cycle with a 24-hour rhythm, but the extent to which the microbiome influences metabolite cycling under different conditions, such as variations in dietary composition, remains l...

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Main Authors: Yueliang Zhang, Sara B Noya, Yongjun Li, Jichao Fang, Amita Sehgal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2025-07-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/97130
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author Yueliang Zhang
Sara B Noya
Yongjun Li
Jichao Fang
Amita Sehgal
author_facet Yueliang Zhang
Sara B Noya
Yongjun Li
Jichao Fang
Amita Sehgal
author_sort Yueliang Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The gut microbiome plays a key role in the maintenance of host metabolic homeostasis and health. Most metabolic processes cycle with a 24-hour rhythm, but the extent to which the microbiome influences metabolite cycling under different conditions, such as variations in dietary composition, remains largely unknown. In this study, we utilized high temporal resolution metabolite profiling of the Drosophila gut to investigate the role of the microbiome in metabolite cycling. We find that the microbiome increases the number of oscillating metabolites despite the previous finding that it dampens transcript cycling in the gut. Time-restricted feeding also promotes metabolite cycling and does so to a larger extent in germ-free flies, thereby increasing cycling in these flies to levels comparable to those in microbiome-containing flies. Enhancement of cycling by the microbiome depends upon a circadian clock, which also maintains phase in the face of changes in the microbiome. Interestingly, a high protein diet increases microbiome-dependent metabolite cycling, while a high sugar diet suppresses it. Gene Ontology identifies amino acid metabolism as the metabolic pathway most affected by changes in the gut microbiome, the circadian clock, and timed feeding, suggesting that it is subject to regulation by multiple inputs. Collectively, our observations highlight a key role of the gut microbiome in host metabolite cycling and reveal a complex interaction with internal and external factors.
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spelling doaj-art-e3a9ea8731b8474c8ce7b007bf0ad4482025-08-20T03:28:32ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-07-011310.7554/eLife.97130The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gutYueliang Zhang0Sara B Noya1Yongjun Li2Jichao Fang3Amita Sehgal4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7354-9641HHMI, Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Lab of Food Quality and Safety of Jiangsu Province, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base, Nanjing, ChinaHHMI, Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United StatesHHMI, Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United StatesInstitute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Lab of Food Quality and Safety of Jiangsu Province, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base, Nanjing, ChinaHHMI, Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United StatesThe gut microbiome plays a key role in the maintenance of host metabolic homeostasis and health. Most metabolic processes cycle with a 24-hour rhythm, but the extent to which the microbiome influences metabolite cycling under different conditions, such as variations in dietary composition, remains largely unknown. In this study, we utilized high temporal resolution metabolite profiling of the Drosophila gut to investigate the role of the microbiome in metabolite cycling. We find that the microbiome increases the number of oscillating metabolites despite the previous finding that it dampens transcript cycling in the gut. Time-restricted feeding also promotes metabolite cycling and does so to a larger extent in germ-free flies, thereby increasing cycling in these flies to levels comparable to those in microbiome-containing flies. Enhancement of cycling by the microbiome depends upon a circadian clock, which also maintains phase in the face of changes in the microbiome. Interestingly, a high protein diet increases microbiome-dependent metabolite cycling, while a high sugar diet suppresses it. Gene Ontology identifies amino acid metabolism as the metabolic pathway most affected by changes in the gut microbiome, the circadian clock, and timed feeding, suggesting that it is subject to regulation by multiple inputs. Collectively, our observations highlight a key role of the gut microbiome in host metabolite cycling and reveal a complex interaction with internal and external factors.https://elifesciences.org/articles/97130microbiomecircadian rhythmmetabolite cycling
spellingShingle Yueliang Zhang
Sara B Noya
Yongjun Li
Jichao Fang
Amita Sehgal
The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut
eLife
microbiome
circadian rhythm
metabolite cycling
title The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut
title_full The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut
title_fullStr The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut
title_full_unstemmed The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut
title_short The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the Drosophila gut
title_sort microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the drosophila gut
topic microbiome
circadian rhythm
metabolite cycling
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/97130
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