PUBLICATIONS

FUT2 is a gene that is associated with a healthy intestinal function, and can regulate microbiota population. The gene is responsible for the formation of specific motifs present in the mucus that selectively allows the growth of certain microbes and limit foreign invaders to enter the body. This matters especially since individuals with CD are more likely not to have the correct version of the FUT2 gene and thus are not capable of producing protective motif of the mucus. In this study the GEM Project Scientists found that FUT2 is NOT associated with changes in diversity, composition, or function, of the bacteria of the gut microbiome. This suggests that FUT2 is contributing to the risk of CD independently of the gut microbiota. Turpin W, Bedrani L, Espin-Garcia O, Xu W, Silverberg MS, Smith MA, Guttman DS, Griffiths A, Moayyedi P, Panaccione R, Huynh H, Steinhart H, Aumais G, Shestopaloff K, Dieleman LA, Turner D, Paterson AD, Croitoru K. Gut Microbes. 2018 Mar 13:1-24. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2018.1445956. Epub ahead of print. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29533703

Abstract

Heritability analysis of the microbiota has demonstrated the importance of host genotype in defining the human microbiota. The alpha (1,2)-fucosyltransferase 2 encoded by FUT2 is involved in the formation of the H antigen and the SNP, rs601338 is associated with ABO histo-blood group antigen secretion in the intestinal mucosa. Previous studies have provided non replicated results for the association of this polymorphism with the composition and inferred function of intestinal microbiota. We aimed to assess this relationship in a large cohort of 1,190 healthy individuals. Genotyping was performed using the HumanCoreEXOME chip, microbial composition was addressed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla in this cohort. Although we have sufficient power to detect significant associations of FUT2 genotype/ inferred phenotype with the microbiota, our data demonstrate that FUT2 genotype and secretor status is not associated with microbial alpha diversity, microbial composition or inferred microbial function after correction for multiple testing. Thus, FUT2genotype and inferred phenotype are not associated with human fecal microbial composition and imputed function.