Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
Research Pediatrics
University Medical Center Groningen

New Key Publication: Characterization of gut microbial structural variations as determinants of human bile acid metabolism

29 November 2021
Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract

Summary

Bile acids (BAs) facilitate intestinal fat absorption and act as important signaling molecules in host‒gut microbiota crosstalk. BA-metabolizing pathways in the microbial community have been identified, but how the highly variable genomes of gut bacteria interact with host BA metabolism remains largely unknown. We characterized 8,282 structural variants (SVs) of 55 bacterial species in the gut microbiomes of 1,437 individuals from two cohorts and performed a systematic association study with 39 plasma BA parameters. Both variations in SV-based continuous genetic makeup and discrete clusters showed correlations with BA metabolism. Metagenome-wide association analysis identified 809 replicable associations between bacterial SVs and BAs and SV regulators that mediate the effects of lifestyle factors on BA metabolism. This is the largest microbial genetic association analysis to demonstrate the impact of bacterial SVs on human BA composition, and it highlights the potential of targeting gut microbiota to regulate BA metabolism through lifestyle intervention.

Authors

  • Daoming Wang
  • Marwah Doestzada
  • Lianmin Chen
  • Sergio Andreu-Sánchez
  • Inge C.L. van den Munckhof
  • Hannah E. Augustijn
  • Martijn Koehorst
  • Angel J. Ruiz-Moreno
  • Vincent W. Bloks
  • Niels P. Riksen
  • Joost H.W. Rutten
  • Leo A.B. Joosten
  • Mihai G. Netea
  • Cisca Wijmenga
  • Alexandra Zhernakova
  • Folkert Kuipers
  • Jingyuan Fu

Cell Host & Microbe: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1931312821005096

UMCG news item: https://umcgresearch.org/w/discovery-of-novel-bile-acid-modifying-genes-in-the-human-gut-microbiome

Last modified:07 December 2021 7.28 p.m.
Share this Facebook LinkedIn

More news

  • 01 July 2025

    Zomernummer Broerstraat 5

    Het zomernummer van RUG-magazine Broerstraat 5 is uit.

  • 01 July 2025

    Khalaf Alkhalaf elected Alumnus of the Year 2025

    Khalaf Alkhalaf has been elected Alumnus of the Year 2025 by the University of Groningen. He has received the award for his commitment to providing good care and guidance to refugees in the Netherlands and the inspiring way in which he shares his...

  • 06 June 2025

    India-Netherlands Hydrogen Valley Fellowship Programme announced

    To coincide with World Environment Day, 5 June 2025, the Indian Department of Science and Technology and the University of Groningen yesterday announced a Hydrogen Valley Fellowship Programme Partnership, allowing talented Indian scholars working on...