Comprehensive Characterization of Microbial Community in the Female Genital Tract of Reproductive-Aged Women in China.

Ningxia Sun,Haixia Ding,Hongjing Yu,Wen Li,Xiang Wang,Qing Zhang,Yixuan Ji,Xiuyue Xifang,Wenjuan Pang

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.649067

Abstract

The microbiota in the human body play critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes. However, the diversity and dynamics of the female genital tract (FGT) microbiota have not been fully unveiled. In this study, we characterized the microbiome variations in reproductive-aged Chinese women, and we revealed that the cervicovaginal microbiota were dominated by Lactobacillus. Overall, the composition of microbiota in the uterine cavity was more diverse than that in the vagina and cervix. A positive correlation between Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus crispatus was observed in both the vagina and the cervix, suggesting that these two species might have a symbiotic relationship in the cervicovaginal microbiota. Moreover, we, for the first time, stratified the reproductive-aged Chinese women into subgroups, based on their microbiome profiles. Furthermore, we identified the bacteria whose abundance changed in the uterine cavity of infertile patients when compared with healthy controls, such as L. iners and L. crispatus. Functionally, the metabolism-related pathways, neurotrophin signaling pathway, and adipocytokine signaling pathway were predominantly dysregulated in the uterine cavity of infertile patients. In conclusion, we characterized a comprehensive microbial landscape in FGT, as well as their functional roles in female infertility of the Chinese population.

Highlights

The microbiota in the human body play a critical role in maintaining our daily wellbeing and are associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases (Young, 2017)
The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of the relative abundance of bacteria revealed that the vagina and cervix showed high similarity in the microbiota composition, while both their relative abundance was significantly different from that of the uterine cavity (Figure 1D)
As the microbiota in the uterine cavity were significantly altered in infertile patients, we aimed to explore the potential biological functions associated with this disease

Summary

Introduction

The microbiota in the human body play a critical role in maintaining our daily wellbeing and are associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases (Young, 2017). These communities of microorganisms can be found in the skin, respiratory tract, alimentary tract, and other tissue sites, each with their own functional capabilities (Group NHW et al, 2009). The composition, diversity, and dynamics of the microbiota in the uterine cavity of reproductive-aged women have not been fully unveiled, and as the uterine cavity is an essential part of the FGT, more efforts are needed to further illustrate the interaction between microbial communities in the vagina and uterus. The impact of microbial communities in the uterine cavity on female fertility and the underlying mechanism are still unclear

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Conclusion