IISER Researchers Conduct Largest Gut Metagenome Study in India

Bhopal: Researchers at Bhopal’s Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) have identified the different types of gut bacteria present in the Indian population in comparison to their western counterparts, further identifying the prevalent genus of bacteria and correlating it with the dietary intake.

Nearly 200 gut samples were taken from people from several Indian locations including Madhya Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, Bihar, and Kerala for the research, making it the largest gut metagenome study from India.

The human gut contains 300-500 types of bacteria that help in digestion, protect us from infections, produce essential vitamins and neurochemicals. In 2011, German scientists classified human beings into three “enterotypes”, depending on the kind of bacteria that dominates the gut – Prevotella, Bacteroides or Ruminococcus.

The research highlighted that the variations in the gut bacteria arise due to differences in the diet patterns observed with the Indian diet being richer in carbohydrates and fibre than the western one. Associate Professor Dr. Vineet K. Sharma, Department of Biological SciIISER researchers conduct largest gut metagenome study in India

Synopsis: Researchers found higher prevalence of a particular Prevotella genus of bacteria namely species called Prevotella copri in the Indian gut microbiome. The bacterium was dominant in majority of population with carbohydrate and fibre-rich dietences from IISER Bhopal also established the relationship between gut bacteria and inflammatory diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) along with his collaborators from the South Dakota State University, USA.

Researchers found higher prevalence of a particular Prevotella genus of bacteria namely species called Prevotella copri in the Indian gut microbiome. The bacterium was dominant in the majority of the population with carbohydrate- and fibre-rich diets including the Italian, Madagascarian, Peruvian, and Tanzanian population. The gut microbiomes of people from western countries like the USA were on the other hand dominated by bacteroides.

Highlighting how the research is unique from those already conducted, Dr. Vineet K. Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Bhopal, said, “Most enterotype studies are largely based on the western population and have not correlated the type of dominant gut bacteria with the type of diet.”

Further elucidating on some of the findings, he added, “This is pioneering study that investigates the role of Prevotella species on human health in different populations, and reveals the significance of P. copri in the metabolism of complex polysaccharides and dietary fibres in non-western populations”

To understand the functional roles of the Prevotella type bacteria, the researchers performed genomic analyses and found that the bacteria contained specific locations (“loci”) in their genomes that are responsible for metabolising complex plant carbohydrates and fibres. This thus explains why this type of bacteria dominates the gut microbiome of a healthy Indian and non-western population that consumes a diet rich in plant-carbohydrates and fibres.

Another observation laid down by the group of scientists was the presence of other Prevotella species such as P. intermedia and P. nigrescens in the guts of the western population. These bacteria are usually found in the mouth, which points to a mouth-gut axis. These bacterial species are inflammatory and have high virulence and antibiotic resistance genes making the western population more susceptible to gut inflammatory diseases.

The researchers pointed out that the study will help in the development of probiotics and prebiotics to treat gut-related health conditions which is direly needed for the non-western populations.

Source: ET