Cited by 1,182Gut microbiota and healthAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 193 of the 196 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 58 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Human Gut Microbiota from Autism Spectrum Disorder Promote Behavioral Symptoms in Mice

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Abstract

SUMMARY Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manifests as alterations in complex human behaviors including social communication and stereotypies. In addition to genetic risks, the gut microbiome differs between typically-developing (TD) and ASD individuals, though it remains unclear whether the microbiome contributes to symptoms. We transplanted gut microbiota from human donors with ASD or TD controls into germ-free mice, and reveal that colonization with ASD microbiota is sufficient to induce hallmark autistic behaviors. The brains of mice colonized with ASD microbiota display alternative splicing of ASD-relevant genes. Microbiome and metabolome profiles of mice harboring human microbiota predict that specific bacterial taxa and their metabolites modulate ASD behaviors. Indeed, treatment of an ASD mouse model with candidate microbial metabolites improves behavioral abnormalities and modulates neuronal excitability in the brain. We propose that the gut microbiota regulates behaviors in mice via production of neuroactive metabolites, suggesting that gut-brain connections contribute to the pathophysiology of ASD.

Overview

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TL;DR

Transplanting gut microbiota from children with ASD into germ-free mice was sufficient to induce ASD-like behavioral symptoms in offspring, relative to TD microbiota. The authors link these behaviors to altered brain gene splicing and microbial metabolites, especially lower taurine and 5-aminovaleric acid (5AV), and show that administering these metabolites improves behaviors in BTBR mice.

Key findings

  • Germ-free C57BL/6J mice colonized with ASD donor microbiota produced offspring (oASD) with increased repetitive behavior, decreased locomotion, and decreased communication versus oTD controls; direct social interaction also showed decreased sociability, and effects were more pronounced in male mice.
  • Microbiome analysis identified 31 differentially abundant amplicon sequence variants between oTD and oASD mice, including *Bacteroides ovatus* and *Parabacteroides merdae* enriched in oTD and *Eisenbergiella tayi* enriched in oASD; *E. tayi* correlated with increased repetitive behavior and social deficits.
  • RNA-seq/rMATS found 560 genes with differential alternative splicing events between oASD and oTD brains (PFC: 265, STR: 257, full dataset: 243), with 52 of 560 events in autism-associated genes and 11 present in both SPARK and SFARI datasets.
  • Metabolomics found 27 of 313 detected colon metabolites significantly different in oASD versus oTD mice, including ~50% less taurine and lower 5AV; oral taurine or 5AV from conception reduced repetitive behavior and increased social duration in BTBR mice, and 5AV decreased L5 pyramidal neuron excitability in medial prefrontal cortex.

Methods

  • Human fecal samples from TD and ASD donors, selected using ADOS and GI severity index scores, were transplanted into germ-free C57BL/6J mice; recipient mice were bred, and offspring were behaviorally tested (open field, marble burying, three-chamber sociability, direct social interaction, ultrasonic vocalization) and sampled at P45.
  • The study used 16S rRNA gene sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, RNA-seq with rMATS splicing analysis, untargeted NMR/GC-MS metabolomics, and MIMOSA metabolic modeling; candidate metabolites were administered to BTBR T+ tf/J mice, followed by slice electrophysiology and calcium imaging.
  • Behavioral outcomes were analyzed with longitudinal linear mixed-effects models; microbiome differential abundance used DESeq2 and Random Forest; correlations used Spearman’s rank; splicing events used FDR < 0.1.

Limitations

  • The paper states it is a limited study with 16 donor samples from a pediatric cohort, and that it cannot conclude gut bacteria are entirely causal for ASD symptoms; host genetics and perinatal events may compound risk.
  • The paper states that only human male donor samples were used, so the observed male bias in mouse behavioral effects may be a true effect or an artifact of experimental design; future studies with male and female donors are needed.
  • The paper notes that GI co-morbidities in ASD donors and their correlation with some behaviors may impact mouse outcomes after microbiota transplant; evident from the text, the mechanistic work relies heavily on mouse models, including BTBR mice and germ-free humanized mice, and on correlational predictions from microbiome-metabolome integration.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.004

Cites

193 of 193 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Claims the paper makes

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Show all 78 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 34
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 33
61 of 61
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The behavioral differences observed in mice colonized with ASD microbiota are due to the microbiota itself and not to other donor-derived factors such as diet, genetics, or GI comorbidities.

    “It is possible that GI co-morbidities in the ASD donors and their correlation with some behaviors (Figure 1B, Table S1) may impact outcomes in experimental mice after microbiota transplant.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The human donor fecal samples are representative of the donor's gut microbiota and of ASD/TD status, without other confounding differences between donor groups.

    “Fecal samples from human TD and ASD donors were selected based on Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) (Gotham et al., 2007) and GI severity index (GSI) scores (Schneider et al., 2006) (Figure 1A–B, Table S1), and transplanted into GF wild-type mice, i.e., “humanized microbiome” mice.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The mouse behavioral tests used (marble burying, open-field, ultrasonic vocalization, direct social interaction) measure ASD-relevant behaviors that translate to human ASD symptoms.

    “oASD mice, colonized with samples from ASD donors, displayed behavioral deficits relevant to ASD, while oMild-ASD mice behaved similar to oTD controls (Figure S2A–E).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Correlations between bacterial taxa or metabolites and behavioral outcomes indicate a potential causal or modulatory relationship rather than mere association.

    “The association of specific bacterial species with oTD or oASD samples, which are also highly correlated with ASD-relevant behaviors, supports the hypothesis that specific bacteria may contribute to various symptoms of ASD.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The germ-free mouse model and humanization procedure do not introduce artifacts that confound the behavioral or molecular results.

    “We transplanted gut microbiota from human donors with ASD or TD controls into germ-free mice, and reveal that colonization with ASD microbiota is sufficient to induce hallmark autistic behaviors.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A direct contribution by the microbiota to the pathophysiology and behavioral outcomes of ASD has not been described previously.

    “While these compelling association studies in humans suggest gut bacteria may impact behavioral symptoms, a direct contribution by the microbiota to the pathophysiology and behavioral outcomes of ASD has not been described previously.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Both human and microbial genes are vertically heritable across generations.

    “However, it is important to consider that both human and microbial genes are vertically heritable across generations.”
7 of 7

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Citations

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  1. Glenn, 2016, Adapterama I: Universal stubs and primers for thousands of dual-indexed Illumina libraries (iTru & iNext), bioRxiv

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Metadata

Authors
Sharon, G., Cruz, N. J., Kang, D.-W., Gandal, M. J., Wang, B., Kim, Y.-M., Zink, E. M., Casey, C. P., Taylor, B. C., Lane, C. J., Bramer, L. M., Isern, N. G., Hoyt, D. W., Noecker, C., Sweredoski, M. J., Moradian, A., Borenstein, E., Jansson, J. K., Knight, R., Metz, T. O., Lois, C., Geschwind, D. H., Krajmalnik-Brown, R., & Mazmanian, S. K.
Affiliations
  • California Institute of Technology (US)
  • Arizona State University (US)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Santa Fe Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Sharon, Gil
  • Mazmanian, Sarkis K.
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-05
Volume
177
Issue
6
Pages
1600-1618.e17
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2948003108
Cited by
1,182
References
196
Citations by year
2026: 128 · 2025: 187 · 2024: 163 · 2023: 166 · 2022: 189 · 2021: 155 · 2020: 153 · 2019: 37
FWCI
44.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
  • Heritage Medical Research Institute
  • Simons Foundation
  • Autism Speaks
  • University of California, San Diego
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Emch Foundation
  • Autism Research Institute
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Brenen Hornstein Autism Research & Education Foundation
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, gut microbiota, microbiota transplantation, germ-free mice, autistic behavior, alternative splicing, microbial metabolites, gut-brain axis, neuronal excitability, social communication, stereotypy
MeSH terms
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Bacteria, Behavior, Animal, Behavioral Symptoms, Brain, Disease Models, Animal, Humans, Risk Factors, Mice, Microbiota

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