Cell: For the first time, it has been discovered that there may be horizontal gene transfer between the gut microbiomes of the mother and baby

The perinatal period is a critical window for cognitive and immune system development, facilitated by the maternal and infant gut microbiomes and their metabolites
.
Recently, a study entitled "Mobile genetic elements from the maternal microbiome shape infant gut microbial assembly and metabolism" published in the international journal Cell published a new mode of transmission of the mother-infant microbiome through the study of the University of Helsinki and other institutions.
That is, during the perinatal period, the microbes in the maternal gut share genes with the microbes in the baby's gut, and this pattern begins before the baby is born and extends to the first few weeks after birth, and this horizontal gene transfer allows the maternal microorganism to affect the function of the baby's microbiome, and the microbiome strain itself does not continue to spread
.

In this large-scale, comprehensive analysis, the researchers provide high-resolution snapshot information on a series of changes in intestinal colonization dynamics that may affect infant development
before and after birth 。 Researcher Ramnik Xavier said, "In this study, we describe for the first time the transfer of mobile genetic elements of the microbiome of the mother and baby, and we also integrated the gut microbiome and its metabolomic characteristics from the mother and baby, and found an association between intestinal metabolites, bacteria and breast milk substrates, which represents a unique perspective
on the co-development of the infant gut microbiome and metabolome under the influence of known maternal and dietary factors.
"

The development of the infant's gut microbiome follows a predictable pattern, starting with microorganisms transmitted by the mother at birth, in addition to the maturation of the immune system, microbial metabolites also affect the early cognitive development
of the body.
Although the perinatal period is critical for the development of the body's cognition and immune system, scientists do not well understand
the co-development of the microbiome and metabolome and the determinants of this process during the perinatal period.
To fill this knowledge gap, the researchers analyzed longitudinal multiomics data from 70 mother-infant combination cohorts to track the co-development of the microbiome and metabolome in the mother's body from the third trimester to the first year of life, and found large-scale transfer of moving genetic elements between the mother-infant organism, which often involves genes
associated with diet-related adaptations.

For the first time, it was discovered that there may be horizontal gene transfer between the gut microbiome of the mother and baby
.

Image source: Cell (2022).
DOI:10.
1016/j.
cell.
2022.
11.
023.

The researchers said that the diversity of infants' gut metabolomes is not as diverse as that of mothers, but hundreds of specific metabolites and microbiome-metabolite associations have not been detected in mothers, and metabolome and serum cytokine profiles in infants receiving conventional but not widespread hydrolyzed formula are not the same
as those of exclusively breastfed infants 。 Researcher Tommi Vatanen said that babies have thousands of unique metabolites in their intestines, many of which are produced by the modification of substrates in breast milk by the intestinal flora, many of which may affect the function of the body's immune system and the development
of cognitive function 。 Pregnancy is directly associated with elevated levels of steroid compounds, including gonadal hormone derivatives and bile acid biosynthesis intermediates, some of which have independent associations with impaired glucose tolerance; Although the infant's gut metabolome is not as diverse as the mother's metabolome, the researchers found more than 2,500 baby-specific metabolome signatures, and they also identified associations between a variety of infant-specific bacterial species and fecal metabolites, including neurotransmitters
and immunomodulators.

The researchers were surprised to find that maternal gut microbiota, rarely observed in infants, may have a particular contribution to the structure of the infant's gut microbiome, and there is also evidence that prophages (dormant phages or viruses that colonize bacterial genomes) may facilitate the exchange
of movable genetic elements between the maternal and infant microbiomes 。 The researchers point out that in addition to the vertical transmission of classical strains and species, the maternal microbiome may shape the gut microbiome of the infant body through horizontal gene transfer, and in addition, identifying the unique metabolome characteristics and microbiome-metabolite interactions in the infant's gut may help researchers develop a novel platform to further study the contribution and role
of microorganisms to infant development.

A limitation of the current study is that the researchers did not take into account dietary and lifestyle changes during pregnancy and postpartum in women, which may also affect the body's microbiome and metabolome characteristics; In future studies, the researchers plan to conduct further studies to analyze the association between bacteria and metabolome, and to use bacteria isolated in vitro to study species-specific bacterial metabolic output signatures
.
In summary, the results of this study suggest that this comprehensive analysis may expand the concept of vertical transmission of the gut microbiome and provide new research ideas and insights
for the development of the microbiome and metabolome of the maternal and infant organism in the third trimester and early life of the infant.
(Biovalley Bioon.
com)

Original source:

Tommi Vatanen,Karolina S.
Jabbar,Terhi Ruohtula, et al.
 Mobile genetic elements from the maternal microbiome shape infant gut microbial assembly and metabolism, Cell (2022).
DOI: 10.
1016/j.
cell.
2022.
11.
023