Fig. 3

Microbiome rejuvenation reverts various age-associated microbial metabolic functions. A Constrained β-diversity plot of yMB and iMB microbiomes over time as determined by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. B Bray–Curtis distances from the baseline microbiome configuration (week 8) are smaller in yMB compared to iMB. A greater Bray–Curtis distance indicates more dissimilar microbiome compositions. C Relative abundance of the genera Akkermansia and Lactobacillus. D The majority of metagenome-derived metabolic functions (Humann3) had an inverted linear dependence on host age in yMB and iMB. E Pathway enrichment of those metabolic functions revealed distinct aging patterns for yMB and iMB. The aging effect in yMB is reduced, i.e. slowed down, in all enriched processes or even inverted for 12 out of 19 metabolic pathways. F Increased stabilizing antagonistic predicted microbe-microbe interactions in aged yMB compared to iMB mice