Human gut microbiota is an important determinant for health and disease, and recent studies emphasize the numerous factors shaping its diversity. Here we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the gut microbiota using two cohorts from northern Germany totaling 1,812 individuals. Comprehensively controlling for diet and non-genetic parameters, we identify genome-wide significant associations for overall microbial variation and individual taxa at multiple genetic loci, including the VDR gene (encoding vitamin D receptor). We observe significant shifts in the microbiota of Vdr−/− mice relative to control mice and correlations between the microbiota and serum measurements of selected bile and fatty acids in humans, including known ligands and downstream metabolites of VDR. Genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10−8) associations at multiple additional loci identify other important points of host–microbe intersection, notably several disease susceptibility genes and sterol metabolism pathway components. Non-genetic and genetic factors each account for approximately 10% of the variation in gut microbiota, whereby individual effects are relatively small.

Background & Aims Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified 140 Crohn’s disease (CD) susceptibility loci. For most loci, the variants that cause disease are not known and the genes affected by these variants have not been identified. We aimed to identify variants that cause CD through detailed sequencing, genetic association, expression, and functional studies. Methods We sequenced whole exomes of 42 unrelated subjects with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 5 healthy individuals (controls), and then filtered single-nucleotide variants by incorporating association results from meta-analyses of CD GWASs and in silico mutation effect prediction algorithms. We then genotyped 9348 patients with CD, 2868 with ulcerative colitis, and 14,567 controls, and associated variants analyzed in functional studies using materials from patients and controls and in vitro model systems. Results We identified rare missense mutations in PR domain-containing1 (PRDM1) and associated these with CD. These increased proliferation of T cells and secretion of cytokines upon activation, and increased expression of the adhesion molecule L-selectin. A common CD risk allele, identified in GWASs, correlated with reduced expression of PRDM1 in ileal biopsies and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (combined P=1.6×0−8). We identified an association between CD and a common missense variant, Val248Ala, in nuclear domain 10 protein 52 (NDP52) (P=4.83×10−9). We found that this variant impairs the regulatory functions of NDP52 to inhibit NFκB activation of genes that regulate inflammation and affect stability of proteins in toll-like receptor pathways. Conclusions We have extended GWAS results and provide evidence that variants in PRDM1 and NDP52 determine susceptibility to CD. PRDM1 maps adjacent to a CD interval identified in GWASs and encodes a transcription factor expressed by T and B cells. NDP52 is an adaptor protein that functions in selective autophagy of intracellular bacteria and signaling molecules, supporting the role for autophagy in pathogenesis of CD.

These analyses reveal important interactions of patients' geographical origin and disease in the interpretation of disease-associated changes in microbial communities and highlight the added value of analysing communities on both the 16S rRNA gene (DNA) and transcript (RNA) level.

Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) is frequently detected in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) and matching metastasis, and has been linked to a worse prognosis. We investigated the presence of F. nucleatum in gastric cancer (GC) and gastric preneoplastic conditions of the stomach, and its potential prognostic value in GC patients. Fusobacterium spp. and F. nucleatum were quantified in various specimens from gastrointestinal tract including paired CRC and GC tissues using probe-based qPCR. Fusobacterium spp. and F. nucleatum were more frequently found in tumorous tissue of CRC and GC compared to non-tumorous tissues. The frequency and bacterial load were higher in CRC compared to GC patients. F. nucleatum positivity showed no association to chronic gastritis or preneoplastic conditions such as intestinal metaplasia. F. nucleatum-positivity was associated with significantly worse overall survival in patients with Lauren’s diffuse type, but not with intestinal type GC. There was no association with gender, Helicobacter pylori-status, tumor stage or tumor localization. However, F. nucleatum was positively associated with patient’s age and a trend for a lower global long interspersed element-1 DNA methylation. In conclusion, our work provides novel evidence for clinical relevance of F. nucleatum in GC by showing an association between F. nucleatum positivity with worse prognosis of patients with Laurens’s diffuse type gastric cancer. Further studies are necessary to explore related mechanistic insights and potential therapeutic benefit of targeted antibiotic treatment in GC patients.