title: Alterations of the human gut microbiome in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: The gut microbiome plays an important role in immune function and has been implicated in several autoimmune disorders. Here we use 16S rRNA sequencing to investigate the gut microbiome in subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS, n=60) and healthy controls (n=43). Microbiome alterations in MS include increases in Methanobrevibacter and Akkermansia and decreases in Butyricimonas, and correlate with variations in the expression of genes involved in dendritic cell maturation, interferon signalling and NF-kB signalling pathways in circulating T cells and monocytes. Patients on disease-modifying treatment show increased abundances of Prevotella and Sutterella, and decreased Sarcina, compared with untreated patients. MS patients of a second cohort show elevated breath methane compared with controls, consistent with our observation of increased gut Methanobrevibacter in MS in the first cohort. Further study is required to assess whether the observed alterations in the gut microbiome play a role in, or are a consequence of, MS pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Sushrut
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jangi
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Roopali
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical and Translational Metagenomics, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1004-7641
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: von Glehn
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Bonny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mazzola
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Shirong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Bonnie L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Glanz
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tankou
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Kirsy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Parham
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nejad
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
authors.forename: Begüm D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Topçuolu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holden
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kivisäkk
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Tanuja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chitnis
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Philip L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: De Jager
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical and Translational Metagenomics, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Georg K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Gerber
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical and Translational Metagenomics, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bry
authors.affiliation: Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Howard L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation; D008297:Male; D008697:Methane / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D008697:Methane