3.3 | Distinctive quantitative microbiota differences in the intestine of faster and slower regenerating Apostichopus japonicus individuals
The bacterial populations per animal were measured by qPCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene with universal bacterial primers. We observed a substantial variation in cell counts between the faster and slower regenerating individuals. The abundances of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene were 8.9×107, 1.13×109 and 1.96×109 copies per sea cucumber for the faster regenerating individuals in the 10 d, 14 d and 21 d stages, respectively. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundances were 1.05×108, 1.5×109 and 2.99×109 copies per sea cucumber in the slower regenerating individuals in the 3 stages, respectively (Figure 4). Additionally, the numbers of 16S rRNA gene copies g-1(wet weight of intestine) were significantly different between the faster and slower regenerating individuals during intestine regeneration (Figure S5). Higher bacterial populations were observed in the regenerating intestines of the slower regenerating A. japonicusindividuals than in those of the faster regenerating individuals.