Sex-Specific Effects of Arsenic Exposure on the Trajectory and Function of the Gut Microbiome.
The gut microbiome is deeply involved in numerous aspects of human health; however, it can be readily perturbed by environmental toxicants, such as arsenic. Meanwhile, the interaction among host, gut microbiome, and xenobiotics is a very complex dynamic process. Previously, we have demonstrated that gut microbiome phenotypes driven by host genetics and bacterial infection affect the responses to arsenic exposure. The role of host sex in shaping the gut microbiome raises the question whether sex plays a role in exposure-induced microbiome responses. To examine this, we used 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomics sequencing to analyze the changes of the gut microbiome and its associated functional metagenome in both female and male C57/BL6 mice. Our results clearly demonstrated that arsenic exposure perturbed the trajectory and function of the gut microbiome in a sex-specific manner.
Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Liang
L
Chi
Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Xiaoming
X
Bian
Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Bei
B
Gao
Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Hongyu
H
Ru
Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Pengcheng
P
Tu
Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Kun
K
Lu
D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D001151:Arsenic