Gut bacteria occupy the interface between the organism and the external environment, contributing to homeostasis and disease. Yet, the causal role of the gut microbiota during host aging is largely unexplored. Here, using the African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), a naturally short-lived vertebrate, we show that the gut microbiota plays a key role in modulating vertebrate life span. Recolonizing the gut of middle-age individuals with bacteria from young donors resulted in life span extension and delayed behavioral decline. This intervention prevented the decrease in microbial diversity associated with host aging and maintained a young-like gut bacterial community, characterized by overrepresentation of the key genera Exiguobacterium, Planococcus, Propionigenium and Psychrobacter. Our findings demonstrate that the natural microbial gut community of young individuals can causally induce long-lasting beneficial systemic effects that lead to life span extension in a vertebrate model.

CECAD University of Cologne Cologne Germany

Chinhoyi University of Technology Chinhoyi Zimbabwe

Institute of Vertebrate Biology Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic

Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing Cologne Germany

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Intra-species differences in population size shape life history and genome evolution

Nothobranchius furzeri, an 'instant' fish from an ephemeral habitat