The gut microbiota composition in dichorionic triplet sets suggests a role for host genetic factors

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 14;10(4):e0122561. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122561. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Monozygotic and dizygotic twin studies investigating the relative roles of host genetics and environmental factors in shaping gut microbiota composition have produced conflicting results. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiota composition of a healthy dichorionic triplet set. The dichorionic triplet set contained a pair of monozygotic twins and a fraternal sibling, with similar pre- and post-natal environmental conditions including feeding regime. V4 16S rRNA and rpoB amplicon pyrosequencing was employed to investigate microbiota composition, and the species and strain diversity of the culturable bifidobacterial population was also examined. At month 1, the monozygotic pair shared a similar microbiota distinct to the fraternal sibling. By month 12 however, the profile was more uniform between the three infants. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) of the microbiota composition revealed strong clustering of the monozygotic pair at month 1 and a separation of the fraternal infant. At months 2 and 3 the phylogenetic distance between the monozygotic pair and the fraternal sibling has greatly reduced and by month 12 the monozygotic pair no longer clustered separately from the fraternal infant. Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of the bifidobacterial population revealed a lack of strain diversity, with identical strains identified in all three infants at month 1 and 12. The microbiota of two antibiotic-treated dichorionic triplet sets was also investigated. Not surprisingly, in both triplet sets early life antibiotic administration appeared to be a major determinant of microbiota composition at month 1, irrespective of zygosity. By month 12, early antibiotic administration appeared to no longer exert such a strong influence on gut microbiota composition. We hypothesize that initially host genetics play a significant role in the composition of an individual's gut microbiota, unless an antibiotic intervention is given, but by month 12 environmental factors are the major determinant.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actinobacteria / genetics
  • Actinobacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacteroidetes / genetics
  • Bacteroidetes / isolation & purification
  • Bifidobacterium / genetics
  • Bifidobacterium / isolation & purification
  • Chorion
  • DNA, Bacterial / isolation & purification
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Environment
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Female
  • Firmicutes / genetics
  • Firmicutes / isolation & purification*
  • Food Microbiology
  • Humans
  • Infant Food
  • Infant Formula
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intestines / microbiology*
  • Male
  • Milk, Human / microbiology
  • Proteobacteria / genetics
  • Proteobacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Ribotyping
  • Symbiosis
  • Time Factors
  • Triplets* / genetics
  • Twins, Monozygotic / genetics

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • DNA, Bacterial

Associated data

  • SRA/PRJEB8333

Grants and funding

This study was performed as part of the INFANTMET project (10/RD/Infantmet/MFRC/705) and was funded by the Government of Ireland's Department of Agriculture Fisheries and in part by Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre. KM is a Teagasc Walsh Fellow. CS, RPR and PWOT are members of The Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, which is a Centre for Science and Technology (CSET) funded by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), through the Irish Government’s National Development Plan (Grant no. 02/CE/B124 and 07/CE/B1368). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.