Project description:Microbial dysbiosis has been identified in adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. However, microbial composition and functional interplay between host genetics and microorganisms in early IBD onset remain poorly defined. Here, we identified and demonstrated the causal effect of Atopobium parvulum and the gut microbiota in pediatric IBD. Microbiota and proteomic profiling revealed that the abundance of A. parvulum, a potent H2S producer, was associated with increased disease severity and a concurrent reduction in the expression of the host H2S detoxification pathway. In the Il10-/- mouse model of inflammation, A. parvulum induced severe pancolitis that was dependent on the presence of the gut microbiota. In addition, we demonstrated that administration of bismuth, an H2S scavenger, prevented A. parvulum-induced colitis. Our findings identified Atopobium parvulum as a major mediator of inflammation severity, and revealed an alteration of the balance between the production and detoxification of H2S in the gastrointestinal tract.
Project description:Intestinal microbial dysbiosis is associated with Crohn’s disease (CD). However, the mechanisms leading to the chronic mucosal inflammation that characterizes this disease remain unclear. To evaluate causality and mechanisms of disease, we conducted a systems level study of the interactions between the gut microbiota and host in new-onset pediatric patients. We report an altered host proteome in CD patients indicative of impaired mitochondrial functions. A downregulation of mitochondrial proteins implicated in H2S detoxification was observed, while the relative abundance of H2S microbial producers was increased. Network correlation analysis identified Atopobium parvulum as the central hub of H2S producers. Gnotobiotic and conventionalized colitis-susceptible interleukin-10-deficient (Il10-/-) mice demonstrated that A. parvulum induced colitis, a phenotype requiring the presence of the intestinal microbiota. Administration of bismuth, a H2S scavenger, prevented A. parvulum-induced colitis in Il10-/- mice. This study identified host-microbiota interactions that are disturbed in CD patients providing mechanistic insights on CD pathogenesis.
