Abstract
BackgroundPremature aging seriously compromises the health status of Down Syndrome (DS) persons. Since human aging has been associated with a deterioration of the gut microbiota (GM)-host mutualism, here we investigated the composition of GM in DS.MethodsThe observational study presented involved 17 adult DS persons. We characterized the GM structure by 454 pyrosequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. DS microbiome was compared with that of age-matched healthy non-trisomic adults enrolled in the same geographic area.Results and ConclusionsThe dominant GM fraction of DS persons showed an overall mutualistic immune-modulatory layout, comparable to that of healthy controls. This makes GM a possible factor counteracting the genetic determined acceleration of immune senescence in DS persons. However, we also found detectable signatures specific for DS among subdominant GM components, such as the increase of Parasporobacterium and Sutterella. In particular, the abundance of this last microorganism significantly correlated with the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) total score, allowing us to hypothesize a possible role for this microbial genus in behavioral features in DS.
Highlights
Resulting from the trisomy of the 21st chromosome, Down Syndrome (DS) represents the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability
Hypothesizing that the layout of the gut microbiota (GM) in DS persons could be of some relevance for their health, here we investigated the GM structure of 17 DS persons
The GM of DS persons was found to be well forged to provide the host with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), butyrate, propionate and acetate, from fermentation of indigestible polysaccharides in the gut
Summary
Resulting from the trisomy of the 21st chromosome, Down Syndrome (DS) represents the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. The overall increase in life expectancy in DS comes with a parallel increase of risk for age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, increased rate of infections, hypertension and obesity [3,4]. This results in a considerable need of medical, rehabilitative and social services, as well as a compromised health status and premature death. Since human aging has been associated with a deterioration of the gut microbiota (GM)-host mutualism, here we investigated the composition of GM in DS
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