A rich meconium metabolome in human infants is associated with early-life gut microbiota composition and reduced allergic sensitization

Charisse Petersen; Darlene L.Y. Dai; Rozlyn C.T. Boutin; Hind Sbihi; Malcolm R. Sears; Theo J. Moraes; Allan B. Becker; Meghan B. Azad; Piush J. Mandhane; Padmaja Subbarao; Stuart E. Turvey; B. Brett Finlay

Cell Reports Medicine (May 2021)

A rich meconium metabolome in human infants is associated with early-life gut microbiota composition and reduced allergic sensitization

Charisse Petersen,
Darlene L.Y. Dai,
Rozlyn C.T. Boutin,
Hind Sbihi,
Malcolm R. Sears,
Theo J. Moraes,
Allan B. Becker,
Meghan B. Azad,
Piush J. Mandhane,
Padmaja Subbarao,
Stuart E. Turvey,
B. Brett Finlay

Affiliations

Charisse Petersen: Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Darlene L.Y. Dai: Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Rozlyn C.T. Boutin: Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hind Sbihi: Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Malcolm R. Sears: McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Theo J. Moraes: Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Allan B. Becker: Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Meghan B. Azad: Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Piush J. Mandhane: University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Padmaja Subbarao: McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Stuart E. Turvey: Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Corresponding author
B. Brett Finlay: Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2, no. 5
p. 100260

Abstract

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Summary: Microbiota maturation and immune development occur in parallel with, and are implicated in, allergic diseases, and research has begun to demonstrate the importance of prenatal influencers on both. Here, we investigate the meconium metabolome, a critical link between prenatal exposures and both early microbiota and immune development, to identify components of the neonatal gut niche that contribute to allergic sensitization. Our analysis reveals that newborns who develop immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic sensitization (atopy) by 1 year of age have a less-diverse gut metabolome at birth, and specific metabolic clusters are associated with both protection against atopy and the abundance of key taxa driving microbiota maturation. These metabolic signatures, when coupled with early-life microbiota and clinical factors, increase our ability to accurately predict whether or not infants will develop atopy. Thus, the trajectory of both microbiota colonization and immune development are significantly affected by metabolites present in the neonatal gut at birth.

Published in Cell Reports Medicine

ISSN: 2666-3791 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine

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