Lectin-Seq: A method to profile lectin-microbe interactions in native communities
Robert Lyle McPherson, Christine R. Isabella, Rebecca L. Walker, Dallis Sergio, Sunhee Bae, Tony Gaca, Smrithi Raman, Le Thanh Tu Nguyen, Darryl A. Wesener, Melanie Halim, Michael Wuo, Amanda Dugan, Robert L. Kerby, Soumi Ghosh, Federico E. Rey, Catherine Dhennezel, Gleb Pishchany, Valerie Lensch, Hera Vlamakis, Eric J. Alm, Ramnik J. Xavier, Laura L. Kiessling
Abstract
Soluble human lectins are critical components of innate immunity. Genetic models suggest that lectins influence host-resident microbiota, but their specificity for commensal and mutualist species is understudied. Elucidating lectins' roles in regulating microbiota requires an understanding of which microbial species they bind within native communities. To profile human lectin recognition, we developed Lectin-Seq. We apply Lectin-Seq to human fecal microbiota using the soluble mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and intelectin-1 (hItln1). Although each lectin binds a substantial percentage of the samples (10 to 20%), the microbial interactomes of MBL and hItln1 differ markedly in composition and diversity. MBL binding is highly selective for a small subset of species commonly associated with humans. In contrast, hItln1's interaction profile encompasses a broad range of lower-abundance species. Our data uncover stark differences in the commensal recognition properties of human lectins.