A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Gut microbiota as an epigenetic regulator: pilot study based on whole genome methylation analysis




AuthorsKumar H, Lund R, Laiho A, Lundelin K, Ley RE, Isolauri E, Salminen S

Publication year2014

JournalmBio

Volume5

Issue6

Number of pages4

ISSN2150-7511

eISSN2150-7511

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02113-14

Web address http://mbio.asm.org/content/5/6/e02113-14.full


Abstract

The core human gut microbiota contributes to the developmental origin of diseases by modifying metabolic pathways. To evaluate the predominant microbiota as an epigenetic modifier, we classified 8 pregnant women into two groups based on their dominant microbiota, i.e., Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Deep sequencing of DNA methylomes revealed a clear association between bacterial predominance and epigenetic profiles. The genes with differentially methylated promoters in the group in which Firmicutes was dominant were linked to risk of disease, predominantly to cardiovascular disease and specifically to lipid metabolism, obesity, and the inflammatory response. This is one of the first studies that highlights the association of the predominant bacterial phyla in the gut with methylation patterns. Further longitudinal and in-depth studies targeting individual microbial species or metabolites are recommended to give us a deeper insight into the molecular mechanism of such epigenetic modifications.




Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 15:10