Cited by 234Gut microbiota and healthGallbladder and Bile Duct DisordersMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology

Gut microbiota dysbiosis and bacterial community assembly associated with cholesterol gallstones in large-scale study

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Wu, Tao, Zhang, Zhigang, Liu, Bin, Hou, Dezhi, Liang, Yun, Zhang, Jie, Shi, Peng·2013·BMC Genomics

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Elucidating gut microbiota among gallstone patients as well as the complex bacterial colonization of cholesterol gallstones may help in both the prediction and subsequent lowered risk of cholelithiasis. To this end, we studied the composition of bacterial communities of gut, bile, and gallstones from 29 gallstone patients as well as the gut of 38 normal individuals, examining and analyzing some 299, 217 bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences from 120 samples. RESULTS: First, as compared with normal individuals, in gallstone patients there were significant (P < 0.001) increases of gut bacterial phylum Proteobacteria and decreases of three gut bacterial genera, Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, and Roseburia. Second, about 70% of gut bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from gallstone patients were detectable in the biliary tract and bacteria diversity of biliary tract was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than that of gut. Third, analysis of the biliary tract core microbiome (represented by 106 bacteria OTUs) among gallstone patients showed that 33.96% (36/106) of constituents can be matched to known bacterial species (15 of which have publicly available genomes). A genome-wide search of MDR, BSH, bG, and phL genes purpotedly associated with the formation of cholesterol gallstones showed that all 15 species with known genomes (e.g., Propionibacterium acnes, Bacteroides vulgates, and Pseudomonas putida) contained at least contained one of the four genes. This finding could potentially provide underlying information needed to explain the association between biliary tract microbiota and the formation of cholesterol gallstones. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to discover gut microbiota dysbiosis among gallstone patients, the presence of which may be a key contributor to the complex bacteria community assembly linked with the presence of cholesterol gallstones. Likewise, this study also provides the first large-scale glimpse of biliary tract microbiota potentially associated with cholesterol gallstones. Such a characterization of the biliary tract core microbiome has potentially important biological and medical implications regarding the role of bacteria in the formation cholesterol gallstones.

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Authors
Wu, T., Zhang, Z., Liu, B., Hou, D., Liang, Y., Zhang, J., & Shi, P.
Affiliations
  • Kunming Institute of Zoology (CN)
  • First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (CN)
  • Kunming Medical University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Zhang, Jie
  • Shi, Peng
Venue
BMC Genomics
Published
2013-10-01
Volume
14
Issue
1
Pages
669-669
ISSN
1471-2164 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2116463764
Cited by
234
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 3
FWCI
3.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • BMC Genomics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100916)
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan Province
  • Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Gallbladder and Bile Duct Disorders
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Keywords
cholesterol gallstones, gallstones, gut dysbiosis, bacterial community assembly, Proteobacteria, Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, Roseburia, MDR genes
MeSH terms
Bacteria, Biliary Tract, Cholesterol, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Phylogeny, Gastrointestinal Tract, Gallstones, Metagenomics, Microbiota, Dysbiosis

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