Optimal Algorithm for Gut Microbiota Differentiation: A Pilot Study of Adolescents with Different Body Weights

Area of Science:

• Microbiome Research
• Adolescent Health
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• The enterotype concept classifies gut microbiota based on host characteristics, influenced by genetics and environmental factors.
• Previous research indicates limitations in accurately identifying enterotypes with certain clustering methods.
• This pilot study addresses the need to compare enterotype definition algorithms and identify factors associated with gut microbiota variations in adolescents of differing body weights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare different algorithms for defining gut microbiota enterotypes in adolescents.
• To investigate factors correlating with gut microbiota differentiation in adolescents with normal body weight versus obesity.

Main Methods:

• Inclusion of adolescents aged 11-17 years, categorized into normal body weight (N) and obesity (O) groups.
• Characterization of gut microbiota enterotypes using three approaches (E-typing A, B, C) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V3-V4 regions).
• Application of Bray-Curtis, Jensen-Shannon divergence, and UniFrac distance metrics for sample clustering, with silhouette index for assessment. Kruskal-Wallis test used to correlate enterotypes with biochemical parameters.

Main Results:

• The study included 22 normal weight and 18 obese adolescents, differing significantly in weight and BMI.
• Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) revealed gut microbiome distribution based on bacterial taxa composition, not solely on normal weight or obesity status.
• The Subdoligranulum enterotype was more prevalent in the normal weight group (E-typing A). Bilirubin levels were lower in the Ruminococcus-Subdoligranulum enterotype compared to the Bacteroides enterotype (E-typing B).

Conclusions:

• Bacteroides was identified as the predominant enterotype in adolescents, irrespective of body weight.
• Gut microbial communities in adolescents appear stable and stratified by enterotype.
• This pilot study highlights the importance of enterotype analysis in understanding adolescent gut microbiome composition.