Alterations of the Human Gut Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2016 Jun 29

PMID 27352007

Citations 587

Authors

Sushrut Jangi

Roopali Gandhi

Laura M Cox

Ning Li

Felipe von Glehn

Raymond Yan

Bonny Patel

Maria Antonietta Mazzola

Shirong Liu

Bonnie L Glanz

Sandra Cook

Stephanie Tankou

Fiona Stuart

Kirsy Melo

Parham Nejad

Kathleen Smith

Begum D Topcuolu

James Holden

Pia Kivisakk

Tanuja Chitnis

Philip L De Jager

Francisco J Quintana

Georg K Gerber

Lynn Bry

Howard L Weiner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The gut microbiome plays an important role in immune function and has been implicated in several autoimmune disorders. Here we use 16S rRNA sequencing to investigate the gut microbiome in subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS, n=60) and healthy controls (n=43). Microbiome alterations in MS include increases in Methanobrevibacter and Akkermansia and decreases in Butyricimonas, and correlate with variations in the expression of genes involved in dendritic cell maturation, interferon signalling and NF-kB signalling pathways in circulating T cells and monocytes. Patients on disease-modifying treatment show increased abundances of Prevotella and Sutterella, and decreased Sarcina, compared with untreated patients. MS patients of a second cohort show elevated breath methane compared with controls, consistent with our observation of increased gut Methanobrevibacter in MS in the first cohort. Further study is required to assess whether the observed alterations in the gut microbiome play a role in, or are a consequence of, MS pathogenesis.

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