Fig. 5: F. prausnitzii colonization is elevated in inulin-fed mice, along with increased expression of the fru operon.

A Three groups of mice were fed a normal chow diet (NCD), an inulin-supplemented NCD, or a chitin-supplemented NCD for one month prior to gavage with F. prausnitzii. Each group was treated with a cocktail of antibiotics for five days to remove residual gut microbes. After a two-day recovery period from the antibiotic treatment, each mouse was orally inoculated with 10¹¹ cells of F. prausnitzii. Stool samples were collected on the indicated days post-gavage to determine the abundance of F. prausnitzii. B The copy number of F. prausnitzii per gram of feces was quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and compared between the groups and the days on which stool samples were collected. C Relative mRNA transcript levels of fruR, fruK, and fruA in F. prausnitzii extracted from mouse stool were compared between the groups. Statistical significance was determined using the Student’s t-test (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, n.s.: no statistical significance). Data are presented as means and SD (n  =  5, independent measurements).