Identification of microbiome-host genetics associations using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing

• Applicant: Dr. Malte Rühlemann
• Subject Area: Medical Microbiology and Mycology, Hygiene, Molecular Infection Biology ; Human Genetics
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 458912286

The collection of microorganisms in the human gut (microbiome) is influnced by a multitude of factors. Also human genetics was identified in multiple studies to be an influencing factor. Our proposed Project aims to identify connections between human genetic variants and microorganisms in the gut. For this, we plan to assess the composition of the intestinal prokaryotic community in 9,000 German individuals using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing on the PacBio sequencing device.Sequencing of the full 16S rRNA gene of microorganism enables us to obtain a higher resolution representation of the community composition of the microbiome compared to the currently widely performed Illumina-sequencing of shorter fragments.Through the creation of microbial co-abundance networks and the correlation of theses with individual host phenotypes we want to investigate connections between host factors and the microbiome. Central to the project is the performance of genome-wide assocaition studies (GWAS) between microbiome and host-genetic variants to assess connections between host-genomic areas and the microbial community of the gut. Finally, based on these results we will perform so-called Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess possible causal relations between microbiome and for example chronic inflammatory disorders.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Corinna Bang; Professor Dr. Andre Franke