Shared Environment and Genetics Shape the Gut Microbiome after Infant Adoption

Abstract

The composition of the human gut microbiome is highly variable, and this variation has been repeatedly tied to variation in human health. However, the sources of microbial variation remain unclear, especially early in life. It is particularly important to understand sources of early life variation in the microbiome because the state of the microbiome in childhood can influence lifelong health. Here, we compared the gut microbiomes of children adopted in infancy to those of genetically unrelated children in the same household and genetically related children raised in other households. We observed that a shared home environment was the strongest predictor of overall microbiome similarity. Among those microbial taxa whose variation was significantly explained by our models, the abundance of a given taxon was more frequently explained by host genetic similarity (relatedness), while the presence of a given taxon was more dependent upon a shared home environment. This suggests that although the home environment may act as a species source pool for the gut microbiome in childhood, host genetic factors likely drive variation in microbial abundance once a species colonizes the gut. IMPORTANCE Our results demonstrate that the early life home environment can significantly alter the gut microbiome in childhood, potentially altering health outcomes or risk for adverse health outcomes. A better understanding of the drivers of gut microbiome variation during childhood could lead to more effective intervention strategies for overall health starting in early life.

The Role of <b><i>Faecalibacterium, Roseburia</i></b>, and Butyrate in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Intestinal microbiota among siblings raised in different homes suggest that while the home environment acts as a “species source pool” for gut microbiota, genetic factors drive the microbial abundance once the species colonizes the gut [5]. Twins in which one twin has active IBD and the other twin is phenotypically normal exhibit similar fecal microbiota.…”

“…Overall, the gut microbiota of IBD is characterized by a loss of diversity and a lower abundance of butyrate producers [2, 5-7]. Among the most prominent bacteria noted to be reduced in IBD are Faecalibacterium and Roseburia [6, 8-11].…”

One Health Probiotics as Biocontrol Agents: One Health Tomato Probiotics

“…According to Lee and coauthors, changes in rhizosphere soil microbiota are revealed in association with the healthy or diseased state of the rhizosphere [ 19 ]. In addition, host genetics affect human [ 20 , 21 ], animal [ 22 ] and plant microbiomes [ 23 , 24 ]. The tomato genotype influences the potential functions of soil bacterial communities.…”

Exploring the Inflammatory Pathogenesis of Colorectal Cancer

“…Given that the microbiota plays an important role in the inflammatory pathogenesis of CRC, the genetic–environmental contributions to the gut microbial composition is paramount to our understanding of CRC. In a recently published study, the microbiome of children who were unrelated genetically but living in a similar environment was compared to genetically related children living in different environments [ 110 ]. Using generalized dissimilarity modeling, it was found that the quantity of a specific microbial taxa was explained by host genetic similarity, whereas the species composition was dependent on environmental factors [ 110 ].…”

“…In a recently published study, the microbiome of children who were unrelated genetically but living in a similar environment was compared to genetically related children living in different environments [ 110 ]. Using generalized dissimilarity modeling, it was found that the quantity of a specific microbial taxa was explained by host genetic similarity, whereas the species composition was dependent on environmental factors [ 110 ]. This is especially important in the context of CRC, given that certain bacterial species are more likely to be associated with CRC development.…”