Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle Phenotypes Can Be Horizontally Transferred via Fecal Microbiome Transplantations

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Immunology

Background:

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe genetic disorder with no cure, characterized by progressive muscle degeneration.
• Gastrointestinal complications are common in DMD patients, potentially affecting their gut microbiota.
• The direct role of the gut microbiota in DMD pathogenesis remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal role of the gut microbiota in the development of muscle pathology in DMD.
• To determine if microbial alterations contribute to or protect against DMD phenotypes.

Main Methods:

• Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed between wildtype and mdx (DMD model) mice.
• The impact of FMT on muscle and microbiota was assessed over nine weeks.
• Differential abundance analysis of microbial taxa was conducted.

Main Results:

• Transferring mdx microbiota to wildtype mice induced an mdx-like muscle phenotype.
• Conversely, transplanting wildtype microbiota into mdx mice improved muscle features.
• Specific microbial taxa were identified as differentially abundant, correlating with muscle health outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The gut microbiota plays an active, causal role in modulating muscle health in DMD.
• Microbes can exert both beneficial and detrimental effects on muscle phenotypes.
• Targeting the gut microbiota represents a potential therapeutic strategy for DMD.