Microbial taxonomic and functional shifts in adolescents with type 1 diabetes are associated with clinical and dietary factors

Abstract

Background: Evidence indicates a link between the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the gut microbiome. However, the regulation of microbial metabolic pathways and the associations of bacterial species with dietary factors in T1D are largely unknown. We investigated whether microbial metagenomic signatures in adolescents with T1D are associated with clinical/dietary factors.

Methods: Adolescents with T1D (case) and healthy adolescents (control) were recruited, and microbiome profiling in participants' stool samples was performed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. The bioBakery3 pipeline (Kneaddata, Metaphlan 4 and HUMAnN) was used to assign taxonomy and functional annotations. Clinical (HbA1c) and dietary information (3-day food record) were collected for conducting association analysis using Spearman's correlation.

Findings: Adolescents with T1D exhibited modest changes in taxonomic composition of gut microbiome. Nineteen microbial metabolic pathways were altered in T1D, including downregulation of biosynthesis of vitamins (B2/flavin, B7/biotin and B9/folate), enzyme cofactors (NAD⁺ and s-adenosyl methionine) and amino acids (aspartate, asparagine and lysine) with an upregulation in the fermentation pathways. Furthermore, bacterial species associated with dietary and clinical factors differed between healthy adolescents and adolescents with T1D. Supervised models modeling identified taxa predictive of T1D status, and the top features included Coprococcus and Streptococcus.

Interpretation: Our study provides new insight into the alteration of microbial and metabolic signatures in adolescents with T1D, suggesting that microbial biosynthesis of vitamins, enzyme cofactors and amino acids may be potentially altered in T1D.

Funding: Research grants from NIH/NCCIH: R01AT010247 and USDA/NIFA: 2019-67017-29253; and Larry & Gail Miller Family Foundation Assistantship.

Keywords: Enzyme cofactors; Gut microbiome; Microbial function; Microbial taxonomy; Type 1 diabetes; Vitamins.