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The gut microbiome in konzo.

ABSTRACT: Konzo, a distinct upper motor neuron disease associated with a cyanogenic diet and chronic malnutrition, predominately affects children and women of childbearing age in sub-Saharan Africa. While the exact biological mechanisms that cause this disease have largely remained elusive, host-genetics and environmental components such as the gut microbiome have been implicated. Using a large study population of 180 individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where konzo is most frequent, we investigate how the structure of the gut microbiome varied across geographical contexts, as well as provide the first insight into the gut flora of children affected with this debilitating disease using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Our findings indicate that the gut microbiome structure is highly variable depending on region of sampling, but most interestingly, we identify unique enrichments of bacterial species and functional pathways that potentially modulate the susceptibility of konzo in prone regions of the Congo.

SUBMITTER: Bramble MS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8433213 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The gut microbiome in konzo.

Bramble Matthew S MS Vashist Neerja N Ko Arthur A Priya Sambhawa S Musasa Céleste C Mathieu Alban A Spencer D' Andre A Lupamba Kasendue Michel M Mamona Dilufwasayo Patrick P Karume Kevin K Nsibu Joanna J Manya Hans H Uy Mary N A MNA Colwell Brian B Boivin Michael M Mayambu J P Banae JPB Okitundu Daniel D Droit Arnaud A Mumba Ngoyi Dieudonné D Blekhman Ran R Tshala-Katumbay Desire D Vilain Eric E

Nature communications 20210910 1

Konzo, a distinct upper motor neuron disease associated with a cyanogenic diet and chronic malnutrition, predominately affects children and women of childbearing age in sub-Saharan Africa. While the exact biological mechanisms that cause this disease have largely remained elusive, host-genetics and environmental components such as the gut microbiome have been implicated. Using a large study population of 180 individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where konzo is most frequent, we ...[more]

PMID: 34508085

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Project description:Background - Prepregnancy overweight and obesity promote deleterious health impacts on both mothers during pregnancy and the offspring. Significant changes in the maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) gene expression due to obesity are well-known. However, during pregnancy the impact of overweight on immune cell gene expression and its association with maternal and infant outcomes is not well explored. Methods – Blood samples were collected from healthy normal weight (NW, BMI 18.5-24.9) or overweight (OW, BMI 25-29.9) 2nd parity pregnant women at 12, 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. PBMCs were isolated from the blood and subjected to mRNA sequencing. Maternal and infant microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Integrative multi-omics data analysis was performed to evaluate the association of gene expression with maternal diet, gut microbiota, milk composition, and infant gut microbiota. Results - Gene expression analysis revealed that 453 genes were differentially expressed in the OW women compared to NW women at 12 weeks of pregnancy, out of which 354 were upregulated and 99 were downregulated. Several up-regulated genes in the OW group were enriched in inflammatory, chemokine-mediated signaling and regulation of interleukin-8 production-related pathways. At 36 weeks of pregnancy healthy eating index score was positively associated with several genes that include, DTD1, ELOC, GALNT8, ITGA6-AS1, KRT17P2, NPW, POT1-AS1 and RPL26. In addition, at 36 weeks of pregnancy, genes involved in adipocyte functions, such as NG2 and SMTNL1, were negatively correlated to human milk 2’FL and total fucosylated oligosaccharides content collected at 1 month postnatally. Furthermore, infant Akkermansia was positively associated with maternal PBMC anti-inflammatory genes that include CPS1 and RAB7B, at 12 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Conclusions – These findings suggest that prepregnancy overweight impacts the immune cell gene expression profile, particularly at 12 weeks of pregnancy. Further, deciphering the complex association of PBMC’s gene expression levels with maternal gut microbiome and milk composition and infant gut microbiome may aid in developing strategies to mitigate obesity-mediated effects.

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The gut microbiome in konzo.

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The gut microbiome in konzo.

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