title: Intestinal dysbiosis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototypical systemic autoimmune disease in humans and is characterized by the presence of hyperactive immune cells and aberrant antibody responses to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens, including characteristic anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies. We performed a cross-sectional study in order to determine if an SLE-associated gut dysbiosis exists in patients without active disease. A group of 20 SLE patients in remission, for which there was strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, was recruited, and we used an optimized Ion Torrent 16S rRNA gene-based analysis protocol to decipher the fecal microbial profiles of these patients and compare them with those of 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. We found diversity to be comparable based on Shannon's index. However, we saw a significantly lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in SLE individuals (median ratio, 1.97) than in healthy subjects (median ratio, 4.86; P < 0.002). A lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in SLE individuals was corroborated by quantitative PCR analysis. Notably, a decrease of some Firmicutes families was also detected. This dysbiosis is reflected, based on in silico functional inference, in an overrepresentation of oxidative phosphorylation and glycan utilization pathways in SLE patient microbiota.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Growing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota might impact symptoms and progression of some autoimmune diseases. However, how and why this microbial community influences SLE remains to be elucidated. This is the first report describing an SLE-associated intestinal dysbiosis, and it contributes to the understanding of the interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the host in autoimmune disorders.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Arancha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hevia
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.affiliation: Immunology Area, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Physiology Area, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuervo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arboleya
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duranti
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turroni
authors.affiliation: Physiology Area, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Immunology Area, Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suárez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gueimonde
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain borja.sanchez@uvigo.es amargolles@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Borja
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain borja.sanchez@uvigo.es amargolles@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Abelardo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Margolles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D064806:Dysbiosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008019:Life Style; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S