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Profiling Blautia at high taxonomic resolution reveals correlations with cognitive dysfunction in Chinese children
Xueyu Hou1, Na Wu2, Shimeng Ren3
1Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
Insights
Specific Blautia species in the gut microbiota are linked to cognitive function in children with Down syndrome (DS). Blautia argi and Blautia faecis levels correlate with cognitive scores, suggesting a role in DS neurodevelopment.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Down syndrome (DS) is linked to cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration.
- Gut microbiota alterations, including the genus Blautia, are observed in children with DS.
- Understanding specific Blautia species is crucial for cognitive function insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific Blautia species in children with DS and healthy controls.
- To investigate the relationship between Blautia species and cognitive function in DS.
Main Methods:
- Blautia-specific amplicon sequencing was performed on 15 children with DS and 15 matched healthy controls.
- Taxonomic and metabolite analyses were conducted.
- Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was utilized.
Main Results:
- Blautia taxa clustered by disease status, with altered species diversity in DS.
- Blautia massiliensis and Blautia argi decreased, while Blautia faecis increased in DS children.
- Reduced acetic acid, altered metabolic pathways, and correlations between B. argi/B. faecis and cognitive scores were observed.
Conclusions:
- Specific Blautia species composition differs between DS patients and controls.
- Blautia species, particularly B. argi and B. faecis, may influence cognitive function in Down syndrome.
- These findings suggest potential novel strategies for cognitive improvement in DS.
Introduction:
Down syndrome (DS), the presence of a supernumerary chromosome 21, is associated with cognitive dysfunction caused by early neurodegenerative processes. Alterations in the gut microbiota were observed in Chinese children with DS, and the genus Blautia was associated with cognitive function in these children. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the detailed composition of this group at the species level and to explore the effect of specific species on cognitive function.
Methods:
In this study, Blautia-specific amplicon sequencing was conducted to identify the specific Blautia species in 15 children with DS and 15 matched healthy children.
Results:
The taxonomic analyses suggested that the Blautia taxa were clustered by disease status. The diversity of Blautia at the species level differed between DS patients and healthy controls, with the abundances of Blautia massiliensis and Blautia argi decreasing in DS children, while Blautia faecis was increased. Acetic acid, one of the metabolites of Blautia, was significantly reduced in the DS group. Of particular interest, Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes analysis revealed decreased modules related to starch and sucrose metabolism and glycolysis. In addition, B. argi was positively related to DS cognitive scores, and B. faecis was negatively related to cognitive function, implying its role on the DS cognitive impairments.
Discussion:
Our study has important implications for understanding the important effects of specific species of Blautia on cognitive function and thus possibly provides a new strategy for future studies of cognitive improvement in individuals with DS.
