Enteric Phageome Alterations in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Virology
• Metabolic disease research

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes (T2D) involves gut microbiota alterations, but the phageome's role is understudied.
• Phages, viruses infecting bacteria, can modulate the gut bacterial community.
• Investigating the phageome offers new insights into T2D pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in the extracellular phageome in type 2 diabetes patients.
• To explore the phageome's role in T2D pathogenesis.
• To identify potential phage-based biomarkers for T2D.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of virus-like particles (VLPs) from fecal samples.
• Sequencing-based identification of bacteriophages and their predicted hosts.
• Comparison of phageome composition between T2D patients and nondiabetic controls.

Main Results:

• Identified 330 phage species; phageome composition was highly individual.
• T2D patients showed altered phage populations, with increased abundance of phages targeting Enterobacteriaceae.
• Enterobacteriaceae and systemic LPS levels were elevated in T2D patients.
• A specific eight-phage consortium accurately distinguished T2D patients (AUC>0.99).

Conclusions:

• The gut phageome is significantly altered in type 2 diabetes.
• Increased abundance of Enterobacteriaceae-specific phages correlates with increased Enterobacteriaceae and LPS levels in T2D.
• The identified phage consortium shows potential as a diagnostic biomarker for T2D.