A study by the Spanish Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the University of San Diego (United States) revealed that the composition of the intestinal microbiome of rats is not determined solely by the genes of the individual itself, but also by the genes of those with whom they live.
The research was conducted through an analysis of more than 4,000 rats, which came from four different cohorts, each housed in a different facility in the United States and with different care routines.
This made it possible to verify that genetic influences extend to other individuals through social contact, explained in a statement the researcher at the CRG of Barcelona and lead author of the study, Dr. Amelie Baud.
The CRG team, after combining genetic and microbiome data, identified three genetic regions that influenced intestinal bacteria.
The “St6galnac1” gene was thus identified, which adds sugar molecules to intestinal mucus with an abundance of “Paraprevotella”, a bacteria that feeds on these sugars; a second region with mucin genes, which form the protective mucous layer of the intestine, and a third region, which included the “Pip” gene, which encodes an antibacterial molecule and was linked to bacteria common in rodents and present in humans.
“There could be more relationships between genes and microbes”
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In the case of people, only two genes were “reliably” linked to intestinal bacteria: the lactase gene, which determines whether adults can digest milk and influences the microbes that digest milk, and the ABO blood group gene, which also exerts an effect through mechanisms that have yet to be discovered.
Likewise, Baud commented that “there could be more relationships between genes and microbes, but they have not yet been confirmed because nature and nurture are difficult to separate in the real world.”
The microbiome was related to aspects ranging from immunity and metabolism to behavior, but not all the correlations described reflect causal effects.
In addition, the authors of the study argued that the “St6galnac1” gene and the “Paraprevotella” bacteria could influence infectious diseases, such as Covid-19, and it was shown that the bacteria cause the degradation of the digestive enzymes that the virus uses to enter the individual’s cells.
Another hypothesis seeks to investigate why some people develop nephropathy due to Immunoglobulin A (IgA), an antibody that protects the intestine, but which, when altered, can leak into the bloodstream and form aggregates that damage the kidneys, and to check whether “Paraprevotella” could alter IgA. Following the report and its conclusions, Dr. Braud’s team will study how “St6galnac1” influences “Paraprevotella” in rats and what biological chain reactions it triggers in the intestine and in the body.
With information from EFE
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