Behçet's syndrome patients exhibit specific microbiome signature.

Clarissa Consolandi, Silvia Turroni, Giacomo Emmi, Marco Severgnini, Jessica Fiori, Clelia Peano, Elena Biagi, Alessia Grassi, Simone Rampelli, Elena Silvestri, Manuela Centanni, Fabio Cianchi, Roberto Gotti, Lorenzo Emmi, Patrizia Brigidi, Nicola Bizzaro, Gianluca De Bellis, Domenico Prisco, Marco Candela, Mario M D'Elios

Journal: Autoimmunity reviews 2015;14(4):269-76

PMID: 25435420

Free Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Behçet syndrome is a systemic inflammatory condition characterized by muco-cutaneous and ocular manifestations, with central nervous system, vascular and/or gastro-intestinal involvement. The association of microbiota with Behçet syndrome has not been shown yet. Our work was aimed to compare the gut microbiota structure and the profiles of short-chain fatty acids production in Behçet syndrome patients and healthy control relatives.

METHODS

Here, we compared the fecal microbiota of 22 patients with Behçet syndrome and that of 16 healthy co-habiting controls, sharing the same diet and lifestyle by pyrosequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16 rDNA gene and biochemical analyses.

RESULTS

Our analyses showed significant differences in gut microbiota between Behçet patients and healthy cohabitants. In particular we found that Behçet's patients were significantly depleted in the genera Roseburia and Subdoligranulum. Roseburia showed a relative abundance value of 10.45±6.01% in healthy relatives and 4.97±5.09% in Behçet's patients, and Subdoligranulum, which reached a relative abundance of 3.28±2.20% in healthy controls, was only at 1.93±1.75% of abundance in Behçet's patients. Here we report, for the first time, that a peculiar dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is present in patients with Behçet syndrome and this corresponds to specific changes in microbiome profile. A significant decrease of butyrate production (P=0.0033) in Behçet's patients was demonstrated. Butyrate is able to promote differentiation of T-regulatory cells, and consequently the results obtained prompt us to speculate that a defect of butyrate production might lead to both reduced T-reg responses and activation of immuno-pathological T-effector responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, our results indicate that both a peculiar dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and a significant decrease of butyrate production are present in patients with Behçet syndrome.

Published by Elsevier B.V.

Address: Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (ITB-CNR), Segrate, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.; Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.; Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (ITB-CNR), Segrate, Milan, Italy.; Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Florence, Italy.; Medical Pathology, Center for Autoimmune Systemic Diseases, Behçet Center and Lupus Clinic, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].; Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Diagnostic Department, San Antonio Hospital, Tolmezzo, Italy.; Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Medical Pathology, Center for Autoimmune Systemic Diseases, Behçet Center and Lupus Clinic, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy.

DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2014.11.009