Biology subjects

Maestre, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Maestre, G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Differential Patterns of Gut and Oral Microbiomes in Hispanic Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) have been associated with alterations in both oral and gut microbiomes. While extensive research has focused on the role of gut dysbiosis in ADRD, the contribution of the oral microbiome remains relatively understudied. Furthermore, the potential synergistic interactions between oral and gut microbiomes in ADRD pathology are largely unexplored. This study aims to evaluate distinct patterns and potential synergistic effects of oral and gut microbiomes in a cohort of predominantly Hispanic individuals with cognitive impairment (CI) and without cognitive impairment (NC). We conducted 16S rRNA gene sequencing on stool and saliva samples from 32 participants (17 CI, 15 NC; 62.5% female, mean age = 70.4 {+/-} 6.2 years) recruited in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Correlation analysis through MaAslin2 assessed the relationship between participants clinical measurements (e.g., fasting glucose and blood cholesterol) and their gut and saliva microbial contents. Differential abundance analysis evaluated taxa with significant differences between CI and NC groups, and alpha and beta diversity metrics assessed within-sample and group compositional differences. Our analyses revealed no significant differences between NC and CI groups in fasting glucose or blood cholesterol levels. However, a clear association was observed between gut microbiome composition and levels of fasting glucose and blood cholesterol. While alpha and beta diversity metrics showed no significant differences between CI and NC groups, differential abundance analysis revealed an increased presence of oral genera such as Dialister, Fretibacterium, and Mycoplasma in CI participants. Conversely, CI individuals exhibited a decreased abundance of gut genera, including Shuttleworthia, Holdemania, and Subdoligranulum, which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. No evidence was found for synergistic contributions between oral and gut microbiomes in the context of ADRD. Our findings suggest that similar to the gut microbiome, the oral microbiome undergoes significant modifications as individuals transition from NC to CI. Notably, the identified oral microbes have been previously associated with periodontal diseases and gingivitis. These results underscore the necessity for further investigations with larger sample sizes to validate our findings and elucidate the complex interplay between oral and gut microbiomes in ADRD pathogenesis.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden is Associated with Decreased Abundance of Gut Barnesiella intestinihominis Bacterium in the Framingham Heart Study

A bidirectional communication exists between the brain and the gut, in which the gut microbiota influences cognitive function and vice-versa. Gut dysbiosis has been linked to several diseases, including Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD). However, the relationship between gut dysbiosis and markers of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), a major contributor to ADRD, is unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the connection between the gut microbiome, cognitive, and neuroimaging markers of cSVD in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Markers of cSVD included white matter hyperintensities (WMH), peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD), and executive function (EF), estimated as the difference between the trail-making tests B and A. We included 972 FHS participants with MRI scans, neurocognitive measures, and stool samples and quantified the gut microbiota composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. We used multivariable association and differential abundance analyses adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and education level to estimate the association between gut microbiota and WMH, PSMD, and EF measures. Our results suggest an increased abundance of Pseudobutyrivibrio and Ruminococcus genera was associated with lower WMH and PSMD (p-values < 0.001), as well as better executive function (p-values < 0.01). In addition, in both differential and multivariable analyses, we found that the gram-negative bacterium Barnesiella intestinihominis was strongly associated with markers indicating a higher cSVD burden. Finally, functional analyses using PICRUSt implicated various KEGG pathways, including microbial quorum sensing, AMP/GMP-activated protein kinase, phenylpyruvate, and {beta}-hydroxybutyrate production previously associated with cognitive performance and dementia. Our study provides important insights into the association between the gut microbiome and cSVD, but further studies are needed to replicate the findings.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Hypothetical Human Immune Genome Complex Gradient May Help To Explain The Congenital Zika Symdrome Catastrophe In Brazil: A New Theory

There are few data considering human genetics as an important risk factor for birth abnormalities related to ZIKV infection during pregnancy, even though sub-Saharan African populations are apparently more resistant to CZS as compared to populations in the Americas. We hypothesized that single nucleotide variants (SNVs), especially in innate immune genes, could make some populations more susceptible to Zika congenital complications than others. Differences in the SNV frequencies among continental populations provide great potential for Machine Learning techniques. We explored a key immune genomic gradient between individuals from Africa, Asia and Latin America, working with complex signatures, using 297 SNVs. We employed a two-step approach. In the first step, decision trees (DTs) were used to extract the most discriminating SNVs among populations. In the second step, machine learning algorithms were used to evaluate the quality of the SNV pool identified in step one for discriminating between individuals from sub-Saharan African and Latin-American populations. Our results suggest that 10 SNVs from 10 genes (CLEC4M, CD58, OAS2, CD80, VEPH1, CTLA4, CD274, CD209, PLAAT4, CREB3L1) were able to discriminate sub-Saharan Africans from Latin American populations using only immune genome data, with an accuracy close to 100%. Moreover, we found that these SNVs form a genome gradient across the three main continental populations. These SNVs are important elements of the innate immune system and in the response against viruses. Our data support the Human Immune Genome Complex Gradient hypothesis as a new theory that may help to explain the CZS catastrophe in Brazil.

genetics↗