Faecal Microbiota Composition in Adults Is Associated with the FUT2 Gene Determining the Secretor Status

Abstract

The human intestine is colonised with highly diverse and individually defined microbiota, which likely has an impact on the host well-being. Drivers of the individual variation in the microbiota compositions are multifactorial and include environmental, host and dietary factors. We studied the impact of the host secretor status, encoded by fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) -gene, on the intestinal microbiota composition. Secretor status determines the expression of the ABH and Lewis histo-blood group antigens in the intestinal mucosa. The study population was comprised of 14 non-secretor (FUT2 rs601338 genotype AA) and 57 secretor (genotypes GG and AG) adult individuals of western European descent. Intestinal microbiota was analyzed by PCR-DGGE and for a subset of 12 non-secretor subjects and 12 secretor subjects additionally by the 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and the HITChip phylogenetic microarray analysis. All three methods showed distinct clustering of the intestinal microbiota and significant differences in abundances of several taxa representing dominant microbiota between the non-secretors and the secretors as well as between the FUT2 genotypes. In addition, the non-secretors had lower species richness than the secretors. The soft clustering of microbiota into enterotypes (ET) 1 and 3 showed that the non-secretors had a higher probability of belonging to ET1 and the secretors to ET3. Our study shows that secretor status and FUT2 polymorphism are associated with the composition of human intestinal microbiota, and appears thus to be one of the key drivers affecting the individual variation of human intestinal microbiota.

Contentious host–microbiota relationship in inflammatory bowel disease – can foes become friends again?

“…Bifidobacterium is the largest genus of intestinal Actinobacteria and it has been linked with health especially in children [22]. As earlier discussed, bifidobacterial abundance and diversity are affected, for example, by the host genotype and diet [22,38,39].…”

“…FUT2 non-secretor status is associated with CD [37]. As host glycans are used as nutrients by bacteria, it is not surprising that the microbiota of non-secretors differs from that of the secretors [38,39]. The non-secretors have lower diversity and abundance of bifidobacteria and overall lower species richness of microbiota [38,39].…”

Role of the intestinal mucosa in acute gastrointestinal GVHD

“…Polymorphisms of the FUT2 gene are common and result in 2 different phenotypes, including so-called secretors and nonsecretors. Interestingly, nonsecretors have been found to harbor intestinal microbiota with reduced species richness, 111 and nonsecretor status in a study of 150 patients was found to be associated with a decreased risk for acute GVHD, but an increased risk for bacteremia after allogenic HSCT. 112 Interactions between bacterial and fungal commensals within the intestinal tract are also beginning to be uncovered.…”

Nature vs. Nurture: The Gut Microbiome and Genetics in the Development of Gastrointestinal Disease

“…The H antigen is an oligosaccharide whose synthesis is regulated by the fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) gene and which acts as both an attachment site and a carbon source for intestinal bacteria [69]. Loss of function mutation to the FUT2 gene results in increased susceptibility to CD along with altered intestinal microbiota composition [89]. In particular, it was found that fecal samples showed decreased Bifidobacterial diversity and abundance when compared to controls [90].…”