Landscape of the gut archaeome in association with geography, ethnicity, urbanization, and diet in the Chinese population

Abstract

Background and aims The human gut is home to a largely underexplored microbiome component, the archaeome. Little is known of the impact of geography, urbanization, ethnicity, and diet on the gut archaeome in association with host health. We aim to delineate the variation of the human gut archaeome in healthy individuals and its association with environmental factors and host homeostasis. Methods Using metagenomic sequencing, we characterized the fecal archaeomes of 792 healthy adult subjects from 5 regions in China, spanning 6 ethnicities (Han, Zang, Miao, Bai, Dai, and Hani), consisting of both urban and rural residents for each ethnicity. In addition, we sampled 119 host variables (including lifestyle, diet, and blood parameters) and interrogated the influences of those factors, individually and combined, on gut archaeome variations. Results Population geography had the strongest impact on the gut archaeome composition, followed by urbanization, dietary habit, and ethnicity. Overall, the metadata had a cumulative effect size of 11.0% on gut archaeome variation. Urbanization decreased both the α-diversity (intrinsic microbial diversity) and the β-diversity (inter-individual dissimilarities) of the gut archaeome, and the archaea-to-bacteria ratios in feces, whereas rural residents were enriched for Methanobrevibacter smithii in feces. Consumption of buttered milk tea (a characteristic diet of the rural Zang population) was associated with increased abundance of M. smithii. M. smithii was at the central hub of archaeal-bacterial interactions in the gut microecology, where it was positively correlated with the abundances of a multitude of short chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria (including Roseburia faecis, Collinsella aerofaciens, and Prevotella copri). Moreover, a decreased abundance of M. smithii was associated with increased human blood levels of cholinesterase in the urban population, coinciding with the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (such as dementia) during urbanization. Conclusions Our data highlight marked contributions of environmental and host factors (geography, urbanization, ethnicity, and habitual diets) to gut archaeome variations across healthy individuals, and underscore the impact of urbanization on the gut archaeome in association with host health in modern society.

Anti‐inflammatory activity of β‐glucans from different sources before and after fermentation by fecal bacteria in vitro

“…We therefore further analyzed the bacteria responsible for the production of these metabolites in solutions of fermented β ‐glucans. We found that most dominant genera in fermented barley β ‐glucan and fermented Ganoderma lucidum β ‐glucan, such as Blautia , Fusicatenibacter , Butyricicoccus , Anaerostipes , and Eubacterium ventriosum group, were associated with the production of acetate or butyrate, which had been reported in previous studies 41‐45 . Among them, Blautia was also involved in the process of polyphenol deglycosylation and lignan catabolism 46 .…”

“…We found that most dominant genera in fermented barley ⊎-glucan and fermented Ganoderma lucidum ⊎-glucan, such as Blautia, Fusicatenibacter, Butyricicoccus, Anaerostipes, and Eubacterium ventriosum group, were associated with the production of acetate or butyrate, which had been reported in previous studies. [41][42][43][44][45] Among them, Blautia was also involved in the process of polyphenol deglycosylation and lignan catabolism. 46 Megamonas and Negativicutes were related to the production of propionic acid.…”

Alterations in Gut Archaea Composition and Their Bacterial Interactions Linked to Hypertension

“…Due to the uncultivability of most archaeal species, current knowledge regarding the composition and function of gut archaea is limited. With the rapid advancement of high-throughput sequencing technologies, analyzing the archaeal community in the gut using next-generation sequencing has become feasible [10, 13, 25-26].…”

Lactobacillus plantarum 24-7 improves postoperative bloating and hard stools by modulating intestinal microbiota in patients with congenital heart disease: a randomized controlled trial

“…40,41 Some studies have found that Prevotella helps break down carbohydrate/fiber-rich foods into simpler substances, such as simple sugar and succinate, and promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids. 42 Ehud Rinott highlighted the Mediterranean diet's capacity to augment the relative abundance of Prevotella and enhance cardiometabolic health. 43 Xu Yang and colleagues revealed the negative association of Paraprevotella with dyslipidemia in pregnant women, 44 while another clinical trial found that Paraprevotella was associated with improved constipation symptoms.…”