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Montgomery TL, Wang Q, Mirza A, Dwyer D, Wu Q, Dowling CA, Martens JWS, Yang J, Krementsov DN, Mao-Draayer Y. Identification of commensal gut microbiota signatures as predictors of clinical severity and disease progression in multiple sclerosis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15292. [PMID: 38961134 PMCID: PMC11222390 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64369-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system and a leading cause of neurological disability in young adults. Clinical presentation and disease course are highly heterogeneous. Typically, disease progression occurs over time and is characterized by the gradual accumulation of disability. The risk of developing MS is driven by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors, including the gut microbiome. How the commensal gut microbiota impacts disease severity and progression over time remains unknown. In a longitudinal study, disability status and associated clinical features in 58 MS patients were tracked over 4.2 ± 0.98 years, and the baseline fecal gut microbiome was characterized via 16S amplicon sequencing. Progressor status, defined as patients with an increase in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), were correlated with features of the gut microbiome to determine candidate microbiota associated with risk of MS disease progression. We found no overt differences in microbial community diversity and overall structure between MS patients exhibiting disease progression and non-progressors. However, a total of 41 bacterial species were associated with worsening disease, including a marked depletion in Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae, and Oscillospiraceae, with an expansion of Alloprevotella, Prevotella-9, and Rhodospirillales. Analysis of the metabolic potential of the inferred metagenome from taxa associated with progression revealed enrichment in oxidative stress-inducing aerobic respiration at the expense of microbial vitamin K2 production (linked to Akkermansia), and a depletion in SCFA metabolism (linked to Oscillospiraceae). Further, as a proof of principle, statistical modeling demonstrated that microbiota composition and clinical features were sufficient to predict disease progression. Additionally, we found that constipation, a frequent gastrointestinal comorbidity among MS patients, exhibited a divergent microbial signature compared with progressor status. These results demonstrate a proof of principle for the utility of the gut microbiome for predicting disease progression in MS in a small well-defined cohort. Further, analysis of the inferred metagenome suggested that oxidative stress, vitamin K2, and SCFAs are associated with progression, warranting future functional validation and mechanistic study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa L Montgomery
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA
| | - Qin Wang
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ali Mirza
- Pharmacoepidemiology in Multiple Sclerosis Research Group, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Deanna Dwyer
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Qi Wu
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Catherine A Dowling
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jacob W S Martens
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jennifer Yang
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Dimitry N Krementsov
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA.
| | - Yang Mao-Draayer
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence, Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
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Yang J, Hamade M, Wu Q, Wang Q, Axtell R, Giri S, Mao-Draayer Y. Current and Future Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23115877. [PMID: 35682558 PMCID: PMC9180348 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23115877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune disorder. Currently, there is a lack of effective treatment for the progressive form of MS, partly due to insensitive readout for neurodegeneration. The recent development of sensitive assays for neurofilament light chain (NfL) has made it a potential new biomarker in predicting MS disease activity and progression, providing an additional readout in clinical trials. However, NfL is elevated in other neurodegenerative disorders besides MS, and, furthermore, it is also confounded by age, body mass index (BMI), and blood volume. Additionally, there is considerable overlap in the range of serum NfL (sNfL) levels compared to healthy controls. These confounders demonstrate the limitations of using solely NfL as a marker to monitor disease activity in MS patients. Other blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of axonal damage, neuronal damage, glial dysfunction, demyelination, and inflammation have been studied as actionable biomarkers for MS and have provided insight into the pathology underlying the disease process of MS. However, these other biomarkers may be plagued with similar issues as NfL. Using biomarkers of a bioinformatic approach that includes cellular studies, micro-RNAs (miRNAs), extracellular vesicles (EVs), metabolomics, metabolites and the microbiome may prove to be useful in developing a more comprehensive panel that addresses the limitations of using a single biomarker. Therefore, more research with recent technological and statistical approaches is needed to identify novel and useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker tools in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Yang
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.); (Q.W.); (Q.W.)
| | - Maysa Hamade
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.); (Q.W.); (Q.W.)
| | - Qi Wu
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.); (Q.W.); (Q.W.)
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.); (Q.W.); (Q.W.)
| | - Robert Axtell
- Department of Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA;
| | - Shailendra Giri
- Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI 48202, USA;
| | - Yang Mao-Draayer
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.); (Q.W.); (Q.W.)
- Graduate Program in Immunology, Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-734-615-5635
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