We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




ABO Histo-Blood Groups Influence Makeup of Gut Microbiome

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 01 Feb 2021
Recent genome-wide association studies yielded inconsistent, underpowered and rarely replicated results such that the role of human host genetics as a contributing factor to microbiome assembly and structure remains uncertain. More...


The intestinal microbiome is implicated as an important modulating factor in multiple inflammatory, neurologic and neoplastic disease. Host genetics, including genes affecting ABO histo-blood groups, may influence the composition of the human gut microbiome.

A large team of scientists at Kiel University (Kiel, Germany) and their colleagues conducted a large genome-wide association study of microbial traits that drew on five cohorts from different regions of Germany that encompassed a total of 8,965 individuals. Following a series of multivariate, univariate abundance, and presence-absence pattern analyses, they uncovered 38 genetic loci associated with the presence of particular bacteria and broad gut microbial community composition.

The team noted an association between variants in the lactase gene locus (LCT) and the genus Bifidobacterium. This association was nominal in four of the five cohorts and stronger in the fifth. They also found an association between a Barnesiella bacterial species and variants in the biliverdin reductase A (BLVRA) gene, which encodes a protein that inhibits toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene expression. The TLR-4 protein is a pattern recognition receptor of the ABO allele.

The scientists investigated ABO histo-blood group associations, including FUT2 secretor status, with microbial features. They found a correlation between non-O blood group and positive secretor status and certain Bacteroides species in four of the five cohorts. Another Bacteroides species, they noted, was also associated with ABO blood status, bolstering the idea that there are histo-blood group-dependent effects on Bacteroides. They further uncovered associations between Faecalibacterium and ABO and between Holdemanella and ABO, as well as an association between FUT2 secretor status and the abundance of Roseburia, independent of ABO type.

Through a Mendelian randomization analysis, the scientists found 19 suggestive microbial effects on host traits, nine of which were tied to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or Crohn's disease. One, for instance, suggests that a group of Bacteroides is associated with ABO histo-blood group status and a group of Prevotella appears to protect against Crohn's disease.

Malte Christoph Rühlemann, PhD, the first author of the study, said, “Ultimately, the aim is to identify candidate genes that are investigated in functional studies and that can at one time point be used in a framework of personalized treatment which considers multiple layers of host factors: life history, genetics, the microbiome, and the interaction of them all as target and modulator of treatment success.”

The authors concluded that their findings support the notion that ABO histo-blood group and sector status influences the makeup of the gut microbiome and that they could potentially represent targets for modulating human health and disease. The study was published on January 18, 2021 in the journal Nature Genetics.

Related Links:
Kiel University


Gold Member
Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile pHOx
Portable Electronic Pipette
Mini 96
Urine Chemistry Control
Dropper Urine Chemistry Control
New
CBM Analyzer
Complete Blood Morphology (CBM) Analyzer
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: New evidence shows viscoelastic testing can improve assessment of blood clotting during postpartum hemorrhage (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Viscoelastic Testing Could Improve Treatment of Maternal Hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage, severe bleeding after childbirth, remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, yet many of these deaths are preventable. Standard care can be hindered by delays... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The CloneSeq-SV approach can allow researchers to study how cells within high-grade serous ovarian cancer change over time (Photo courtesy of MSK)

Blood Test Tracks Treatment Resistance in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage because it spreads microscopically throughout the abdomen, and although initial surgery and chemotherapy can work, most... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to improve access to Hb variant testing with the Gazelle POC diagnostic platform (Photo courtesy of Hemex Health)

Terumo BCT and Hemex Health Collaborate to Improve Access to Testing for Hemoglobin Disorders

Millions of people worldwide living with sickle cell disease and other hemoglobin disorders experience delayed diagnosis and limited access to effective care, particularly in regions where testing is scarce.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.