Phylosymbiosis across Deeply Diverging Lineages of Omnivorous Cockroaches (Order Blattodea)

ABSTRACT The gut microbiome is shaped by both host diet and host phylogeny. However, separating the relative influence of these two factors over long periods of evolutionary time is often difficult. We conducted a 16S rRNA gene amplicon-based survey of the gut microbiome from 237 individuals and 19 species of omnivorous cockroaches from the order Blattodea. The order Blattodea represents an ancient lineage of insects that emerged over 300 million years ago, have a diverse gut microbiota, and have a typically gregarious lifestyle. All cockroaches shared a broadly similar gut microbiota, with 66 microbial families present across all species and 13 present in every individual examined. Although our network analysis of the cockroach gut microbiome showed a large amount of connectivity, we demonstrated that gut microbiota cluster strongly by host species. We conducted follow-up tests to determine if cockroaches exhibit phylosymbiosis, or the tendency of host-associated microbial communities to parallel the phylogeny of related host species. Across the full data set, gut microbial community similarity was not found to correlate with host phylogenetic distance. However, a weak but significant phylosymbiotic signature was observed using the matching cluster metric, which allows for localized changes within a phylogenetic tree that are more likely to occur over long evolutionary distances. This finding suggests that host phylogeny plays a large role in structuring the cockroach gut microbiome over shorter evolutionary distances and a weak but significant role in shaping the gut microbiome over extended periods of evolutionary time. IMPORTANCE The gut microbiome plays a key role in host health. Therefore, it is important to understand the evolution of the gut microbiota and how it impacts, and is impacted by, host evolution. In this study, we explore the relationship between host phylogeny and gut microbiome composition in omnivorous, gregarious cockroaches within the Blattodea order, an ancient lineage that spans 300 million years of evolutionary divergence. We demonstrate a strong relationship between host species identity and gut microbiome composition and found a weaker but significant role for host phylogeny in determining microbiome similarity over extended periods of evolutionary time. This study advances our understanding of the role of host phylogeny in shaping the gut microbiome over different evolutionary distances.

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Interaction between Host MicroRNAs and the Gut Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer

mSystems ◽

10.1128/msystems.00205-17 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Ce Yuan ◽

Michael B. Burns ◽

Subbaya Subramanian ◽

Ran Blekhman

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Mirna Expression ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Host Cells ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Small Noncoding Rna

ABSTRACT Although variation in gut microbiome composition has been linked with colorectal cancer (CRC), the factors that mediate the interactions between CRC tumors and the microbiome are poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate CRC progression and are associated with patient survival outcomes. In addition, recent studies suggested that host miRNAs can also regulate bacterial growth and influence the composition of the gut microbiome. Here, we investigated the association between miRNA expression and microbiome composition in human CRC tumor and normal tissues. We identified 76 miRNAs as differentially expressed (DE) in tissue from CRC tumors and normal tissue, including the known oncogenic miRNAs miR-182, miR-503, and mir-17~92 cluster. These DE miRNAs were correlated with the relative abundances of several bacterial taxa, including Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , and Proteobacteria . Bacteria correlated with DE miRNAs were enriched with distinct predicted metabolic categories. Additionally, we found that miRNAs that correlated with CRC-associated bacteria are predicted to regulate targets that are relevant for host-microbiome interactions and highlight a possible role for miRNA-driven glycan production in the recruitment of pathogenic microbial taxa. Our work characterized a global relationship between microbial community composition and miRNA expression in human CRC tissues. IMPORTANCE Recent studies have found an association between colorectal cancer (CRC) and the gut microbiota. One potential mechanism by which the microbiota can influence host physiology is through affecting gene expression in host cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that can regulate gene expression and have important roles in cancer development. Here, we investigated the link between the gut microbiota and the expression of miRNA in CRC. We found that dozens of miRNAs are differentially regulated in CRC tumors and adjacent normal colon and that these miRNAs are correlated with the abundance of microbes in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, we found that microbes that have been previously associated with CRC are correlated with miRNAs that regulate genes related to interactions with microbes. Notably, these miRNAs likely regulate glycan production, which is important for the recruitment of pathogenic microbial taxa to the tumor. This work provides a first systems-level map of the association between microbes and host miRNAs in the context of CRC and provides targets for further experimental validation and potential interventions.

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Underdevelopment of the gut microbiota and bacteria species as non-invasive markers of prediction in children with autism spectrum disorder

Gut ◽

10.1136/gutjnl-2020-324015 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. gutjnl-2020-324015

Author(s):

Yating Wan ◽

Tao Zuo ◽

Zhilu Xu ◽

Fen Zhang ◽

Hui Zhan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Chinese Children ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Faecal Microbiome

ObjectiveThe gut microbiota has been suggested to play a role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We postulate that children with ASD harbour an altered developmental profile of the gut microbiota distinct from that of typically developing (TD) children. Here, we aimed to characterise compositional and functional alterations in gut microbiome in association with age in children with ASD and to identify novel faecal bacterial markers for predicting ASD.DesignWe performed deep metagenomic sequencing in faecal samples of 146 Chinese children (72 ASD and 74 TD children). We compared gut microbial composition and functions between children with ASD and TD children. Candidate bacteria markers were identified and validated by metagenomic analysis. Gut microbiota development in relation to chronological age was assessed using random forest model.ResultsASD and chronological age had the most significant and largest impacts on children’s faecal microbiome while diet showed no correlation. Children with ASD had significant alterations in faecal microbiome composition compared with TD children characterised by increased bacterial richness (p=0.021) and altered microbiome composition (p<0.05). Five bacterial species were identified to distinguish gut microbes in ASD and TD children, with areas under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 82.6% and 76.2% in the discovery cohort and validation cohort, respectively. Multiple neurotransmitter biosynthesis related pathways in the gut microbiome were depleted in children with ASD compared with TD children (p<0.05). Developing dynamics of growth-associated gut bacteria (age-discriminatory species) seen in TD children were lost in children with ASD across the early-life age spectrum.ConclusionsGut microbiome in Chinese children with ASD was altered in composition, ecological network and functionality compared with TD children. We identified novel bacterial markers for prediction of ASD and demonstrated persistent underdevelopment of the gut microbiota in children with ASD which lagged behind their respective age-matched peers.

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The Effects of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate on Gut Microbial Composition: A Systematic Review of Evidence from Animal and Human Studies

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11020294 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 294 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Anna Shmagel ◽

Ryan Demmer ◽

Daniel Knights ◽

Mary Butler ◽

Lisa Langsetmo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Chondroitin Sulfate ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Human Studies ◽

Journal Articles ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Search Terms ◽

Quality Evidence

Oral glucosamine sulfate (GS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS), while widely marketed as joint-protective supplements, have limited intestinal absorption and are predominantly utilized by gut microbiota. Hence the effects of these supplements on the gut microbiome are of great interest, and may clarify their mode of action, or explain heterogeneity in therapeutic responses. We conducted a systematic review of animal and human studies reporting the effects of GS or CS on gut microbial composition. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus databases for journal articles in English from database inception until July 2018, using search terms microbiome, microflora, intestinal microbiota/flora, gut microbiota/flora and glucosamine or chondroitin. Eight original articles reported the effects of GS or CS on microbiome composition in adult humans (four articles) or animals (four articles). Studies varied significantly in design, supplementation protocols, and microbiome assessment methods. There was moderate-quality evidence for an association between CS exposure and increased abundance of genus Bacteroides in the murine and human gut, and low-quality evidence for an association between CS exposure and an increase in Desulfovibrio piger species, an increase in Bacteroidales S24-7 family, and a decrease in Lactobacillus. We discuss the possible metabolic implications of these changes for the host. For GS, evidence of effects on gut microbiome was limited to one low-quality study. This review highlights the importance of considering the potential influence of oral CS supplements on gut microbiota when evaluating their effects and safety for the host.

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Comparative Analyses of Vertebrate Gut Microbiomes Reveal Convergence between Birds and Bats

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.02901-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Se Jin Song ◽

Jon G. Sanders ◽

Frédéric Delsuc ◽

Jessica Metcalf ◽

Katherine Amato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiome ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

Strong Correlations ◽

Evolutionary Relatedness ◽

Host Diet ◽

Comprehensive Survey ◽

Taxonomic Range ◽

Host Phylogeny ◽

The Cost

ABSTRACT Diet and host phylogeny drive the taxonomic and functional contents of the gut microbiome in mammals, yet it is unknown whether these patterns hold across all vertebrate lineages. Here, we assessed gut microbiomes from ∼900 vertebrate species, including 315 mammals and 491 birds, assessing contributions of diet, phylogeny, and physiology to structuring gut microbiomes. In most nonflying mammals, strong correlations exist between microbial community similarity, host diet, and host phylogenetic distance up to the host order level. In birds, by contrast, gut microbiomes are only very weakly correlated to diet or host phylogeny. Furthermore, while most microbes resident in mammalian guts are present in only a restricted taxonomic range of hosts, most microbes recovered from birds show little evidence of host specificity. Notably, among the mammals, bats host especially bird-like gut microbiomes, with little evidence for correlation to host diet or phylogeny. This suggests that host-gut microbiome phylosymbiosis depends on factors convergently absent in birds and bats, potentially associated with physiological adaptations to flight. Our findings expose major variations in the behavior of these important symbioses in endothermic vertebrates and may signal fundamental evolutionary shifts in the cost/benefit framework of the gut microbiome. IMPORTANCE In this comprehensive survey of microbiomes of >900 species, including 315 mammals and 491 birds, we find a striking convergence of the microbiomes of birds and animals that fly. In nonflying mammals, diet and short-term evolutionary relatedness drive the microbiome, and many microbial species are specific to a particular kind of mammal, but flying mammals and birds break this pattern with many microbes shared across different species, with little correlation either with diet or with relatedness of the hosts. This finding suggests that adaptation to flight breaks long-held relationships between hosts and their microbes.

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Host phylogeny and host ecology structure the mammalian gut microbiota at different taxonomic scales

10.1101/2020.09.23.299727 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Connie A. Rojas ◽

Santiago A. Ramírez-Barahona ◽

Kay E. Holekamp ◽

Kevin. R. Theis

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Host Species ◽

16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽

Host Phylogeny ◽

Host Ecology ◽

Herbivore Species ◽

Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Species Specific

AbstractThe gut microbiota is critical for host function. Among mammals, host phylogenetic relatedness and diet are strong drivers of gut microbiota structure, but one factor may be more influential than the other. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine the relative contributions of host phylogeny and host dietary guild in structuring the gut microbiotas of 11 herbivore species from 5 families living sympatrically in southwest Kenya. Herbivore species were classified as grazers, browsers, or mixed-feeders. We found that gut microbiotas were highly species-specific, and that host family accounted for more variation in the gut microbiota (35%) than did host dietary guild (14%). Overall, similarity among gut microbiotas increased with host phylogenetic relatedness (r=0.73), yet this relationship was not apparent among seven closely related Bovid host species (r=0.21 NS). In bovids, host dietary guild explained twice as much variation in the gut microbiota as did host species. Lastly, we found that the gut microbiotas of herbivores residing in southwest Kenya closely resemble those of conspecifics from central Kenya, suggesting that regardless of variability in host local habitat, hosts consistently provide microbes with similar niches for colonization. Overall, our findings suggest that host phylogeny may structure the gut microbiota at broad taxonomic scales, but that host ecology may be more influential in shaping the gut microbiotas of closely related host species.

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Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota with Increased Trimethylamine N-oxide Level in Patients with Large Artery Atherosclerotic and Cardioembolic Strokes

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20073/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dong-Juan Xu ◽

Kai Cheng Wang ◽

Lin-Bo Yuan ◽

Qiong-Qiong Lin ◽

Hong-Fei Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Control Group ◽

Large Artery ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Plaque Area ◽

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽

And Function ◽

Dietary Choline ◽

Asymptomatic Control

Abstract Background — With the establishment of the concept of the gut–brain axis, increasing evidence has shown that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Gut bacteria can transform dietary choline, L-carnitine, and trimethylamine N -oxide (TMAO) into trimethylamine, which can be oxidized into TMAO again in the liver and participate in atherogenesis. However, only few studies have described alterations in the gut microbiota composition and function in cardioembolic (CE) and large artery atherosclerotic (LAA) strokes. Methods and Results — A case–control study was performed on patients with LAA and CE strokes. TMAO was determined via liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Gut microbiome was profiled through Illumina sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (V4–V5 regions). The TMAO levels in the plasma of patients with LAA and CE strokes were significantly increased (TMAO: LAA stroke, 2931±456.4 ng/mL vs. CE stroke, 4220±577.6 ng/mL vs. control, 1663±117.8 ng/mL; P < 0.05). The TMAO level in patients with LAA stroke was positively correlated with the carotid plaque area (rho = 0.333, 95% confidence interval = 0.08 to 0.55, and P = 0.0093). The composition and function of gut microbiomes in the LAA and CE stroke groups were significantly different from those of the asymptomatic control. In addition to the significantly increased α and β diversities, the gut microbiome composition and function showed that the LAA group had more microorganisms than the asymptomatic control group; such microorganisms convert dietary source choline, TMAO to TMA. Parabacteroides and Streptococcus exhibited the strongest association with LAA and CE strokes. Conclusions — This study established the compositional and functional alterations of gut microbiomes in patients with LAA and CE strokes and the relationship between plasma TMAO and gut microbiota. The findings suggest the potential of using gut microbiota as a biomarker for patients with LAA and CE strokes.

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Alterations in human gut microbiome composition and metabolism after exposure to glyphosate and Roundup and/or a spore-based formulation using the SHIME® technology

10.1101/2021.12.16.472928 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Robin Mesnage ◽

Marta Calatayud ◽

Cindy Duysburgh ◽

Massimo Marzorati ◽

Michael Antoniou

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Large Scale ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Human Gut ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Human Gut Microbiome ◽

Ammonium Production ◽

Profiling Techniques ◽

Microbial Environment

Despite extensive research into the toxicology of the herbicide glyphosate, there are still major unknowns regarding its effects on the human gut microbiome. As a step in addressing this knowledge gap, we describe for the first time the effects of glyphosate and a Roundup glyphosate-based herbicide on infant gut microbiota using SHIME technology, which mimics the entire gastrointestinal tract. SHIME microbiota culture was undertaken in the presence of a concentration of 100 mg/L (corresponding to a dose of 1.6 mg/kg/day) glyphosate and the same glyphosate equivalent concentration of Roundup, which is in the range of the US chronic reference dose, and subjected to molecular profiling techniques to assess outcomes. Roundup and to a lesser extent glyphosate caused an increase in fermentation activity, resulting in acidification of the microbial environment. This was also reflected by an increase in lactate and acetate production concomitant to a decrease in the levels of propionate, valerate, caproate and butyrate. Ammonium production reflecting proteolytic activities was increased by Roundup exposure. Global metabolomics revealed large scale disturbances in metabolite profiles, including an increased abundance of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3 and n6). Although changes in bacterial composition measured by qPCR and 16S rRNA sequencing were less clear, our results suggested that lactobacilli had their growth stimulated as a result of microenvironment acidification. Co-treatment with the spore-based probiotic formulation MegaSporeBiotic reverted some of the changes in short-chain fatty acid levels. Altogether, our results suggest that glyphosate can exert effects on human gut microbiota at permitted regulatory levels of exposure, highlighting the need for epidemiological studies aimed at evaluating the effects of glyphosate herbicides on human gut microbiome function.

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Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and its correlation with dysregulation of cytokines in psoriasis patients

10.21203/rs.3.rs-50642/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xinyue Zhang ◽

Kun Guo ◽

Linjing Shi ◽

Ting Sun ◽

Songmei Geng

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Interleukin 2 ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background: Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease associated with multiple comorbidities and substantially diminishes patients’ quality of life. The gut microbiome has become a hot topic in psoriasis as it has been shown to affect both allergy and autoimmunity diseases in recent studies. Our objective was to identify differences in the fecal microbial composition of patients with psoriasis compared with healthy individuals to unravel the microbiota profiling in this autoimmune disease.Results: We collected fecal samples from 30 psoriasis patients and 30 healthy controls, sequenced them by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and identified the gut microbial composition using bioinformatic analyses including Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) and Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt). Our results showed that different relative abundance of certain bacterial taxa between psoriasis patients and healthy individuals, including Faecalibacterium and Megamonas, were increased in patients with psoriasis. It’s also implicated that many cytokines act as main effect molecules in the pathology of psoriasis. We selected the inflammation-related indicators that were abnormal in psoriasis patients and found the microbiome variations were associated with the level of them, especially interleukin-2 receptor showed a positive relationship with Phascolarctobacterium and a negative relationship with the dialister. The relative abundance of Phascolarctobacterium and dialister can be regard as predictors of psoriasis activity. The correlation analysis based on microbiota and Inflammation-related indicators showed that microbiota dysbiosis might induce an abnormal immune response in psoriasis. Conclusions: We concluded that the gut microbiome composition in psoriasis patients has been altered markedly and provides evidence to understand the relationship between gut microbiota and psoriasis. More mechanistic experiments are needed to determine whether the differences observed in gut microbiota are the cause or consequences of psoriasis and whether the relationship between gut microbiota and cytokines was involved.

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Microsporidian Infection in Mosquitoes (Culicidae) Is Associated with Gut Microbiome Composition and Predicted Gut Microbiome Functional Content

Microbial Ecology ◽

10.1007/s00248-021-01944-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Artur Trzebny ◽

Anna Slodkowicz-Kowalska ◽

Johanna Björkroth ◽

Miroslawa Dabert

Keyword(s):

16S Rrna ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Microsporidian Infection ◽

Functional Content

AbstractThe animal gut microbiota consist of many different microorganisms, mainly bacteria, but archaea, fungi, protozoans, and viruses may also be present. This complex and dynamic community of microorganisms may change during parasitic infection. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the presence of microsporidians on the composition of the mosquito gut microbiota and linked some microbiome taxa and functionalities to infections caused by these parasites. We characterised bacterial communities of 188 mosquito females, of which 108 were positive for microsporidian DNA. To assess how bacterial communities change during microsporidian infection, microbiome structures were identified using 16S rRNA microbial profiling. In total, we identified 46 families and four higher taxa, of which Comamonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Flavobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were the most abundant mosquito-associated bacterial families. Our data suggest that the mosquito gut microbial composition varies among host species. In addition, we found a correlation between the microbiome composition and the presence of microsporidians. The prediction of metagenome functional content from the 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggests that microsporidian infection is characterised by some bacterial species capable of specific metabolic functions, especially the biosynthesis of ansamycins and vancomycin antibiotics and the pentose phosphate pathway. Moreover, we detected a positive correlation between the presence of microsporidian DNA and bacteria belonging to Spiroplasmataceae and Leuconostocaceae, each represented by a single species, Spiroplasma sp. PL03 and Weissella cf. viridescens, respectively. Additionally, W. cf. viridescens was observed only in microsporidian-infected mosquitoes. More extensive research, including intensive and varied host sampling, as well as determination of metabolic activities based on quantitative methods, should be carried out to confirm our results.

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An online atlas of human plasma metabolite signatures of gut microbiome composition

10.1101/2021.12.23.21268179 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Koen F. Dekkers ◽

Sergi Sayols-Baixeras ◽

Gabriel Baldanzi ◽

Christoph Nowak ◽

Ulf Hammar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

High Performance ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Plasma Metabolites ◽

Uremic Toxin ◽

Metagenomic Sequencing ◽

Microbiome Composition ◽

Plasma Metabolite

The human gut microbiota produces a variety of small compounds, some of which enter the bloodstream and impact host health. Conversely, various exogenous nutritional and pharmaceutical compounds affect the gut microbiome composition before entering circulation. Characterization of the gut microbiota—host plasma metabolite interactions is an important step towards understanding the effects of the gut microbiota on human health. However, studies involving large and deeply phenotyped cohorts that would reveal such meaningful interactions are scarce. Here, we used deep metagenomic sequencing and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography linked to mass spectrometry for detailed characterization of the fecal microbiota and plasma metabolome, respectively, of 8,584 participants invited at age 50 to 64 of the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS). After adjusting for multiple comparisons, we identified 1,008 associations between species alpha diversity and plasma metabolites, and 318,944 associations between specific gut metagenomic species and plasma metabolites. The gut microbiota explained up to 50% of the variance of individual plasma metabolites (mean of 4.7%). We present all results as the searchable association atlas "GUTSY" as a rich resource for mining associations, and exemplify the potential of the atlas by presenting novel associations between oral medication and the gut microbiome, and microbiota species strongly associated with levels of the uremic toxin p-cresol sulfate. The association atlas can be used as the basis for targeted studies of perturbation of specific bacteria and for identification of candidate plasma biomarkers of gut flora composition.

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