Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology

Abstract Background The gut microbiome plays a key role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as imbalances in microbial composition are associated with immune dysfunction. However, the specific mechanisms by which certain microorganisms contribute to this process remain unclear. M...

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Main Authors: Gerard Serrano-Gómez, Francisca Yañez, Zaida Soler, Marc Pons-Tarin, Luis Mayorga, Claudia Herrera-deGuise, Natalia Borruel, Antonio Rodriguez-Sinovas, Marta Consegal, Isaac Manjón, Sara Vega-Abellaneda, Chaysavanh Manichanh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-06-01
Series:Biomarker Research
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-025-00802-1
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author Gerard Serrano-Gómez
Francisca Yañez
Zaida Soler
Marc Pons-Tarin
Luis Mayorga
Claudia Herrera-deGuise
Natalia Borruel
Antonio Rodriguez-Sinovas
Marta Consegal
Isaac Manjón
Sara Vega-Abellaneda
Chaysavanh Manichanh
author_facet Gerard Serrano-Gómez
Francisca Yañez
Zaida Soler
Marc Pons-Tarin
Luis Mayorga
Claudia Herrera-deGuise
Natalia Borruel
Antonio Rodriguez-Sinovas
Marta Consegal
Isaac Manjón
Sara Vega-Abellaneda
Chaysavanh Manichanh
author_sort Gerard Serrano-Gómez
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The gut microbiome plays a key role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as imbalances in microbial composition are associated with immune dysfunction. However, the specific mechanisms by which certain microorganisms contribute to this process remain unclear. Methods Here, we employed a multi-omics approach on fecal samples to identify novel microbiome markers and elucidate mechanisms underlying IBD. Shotgun metagenomics was applied to 212 samples (850 in total with validation cohort), shotgun metatranscriptomics to 103 samples and metabolomics to 105 samples. Machine learning techniques were used to predict disease and the three omics data were integrated to propose a mechanistic role of the microbiota. Results Metagenomic analysis identified Crohn's disease (CD)-specific microbiome signatures, including a panel of 20 species that achieved a high diagnostic performance, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.94 in an external validation set. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed significant alterations in microbial fermentation pathways in CD, but not in ulcerative colitis (UC), highlighting disruptions that explain the depletion of butyrate—a key anti-inflammatory metabolite—observed in metabolomics analysis. Integrative multi-omics analyses further identified active virulence factor genes in CD, predominantly originating from the adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC). Notably, these findings unveiled novel mechanisms, including E. coli-mediated aspartate depletion and the utilization of propionate, which drives the expression of the ompA virulence gene, critical for bacterial adherence and invasion of the host’s macrophages. Interestingly, these microbiome alterations were absent in UC, underscoring distinct mechanisms of disease development between the two IBD subtypes. Conclusions In conclusion, our study not only identifies promising novel biomarkers with strong diagnostic potential, which could be valuable in challenging clinical scenarios, but also offers an integrated multi-omics perspective on the microbial mechanisms underlying inflammation and virulence in Crohn's disease.
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spelling doaj-art-73d08369b5874ca98ab95fb0b0deece32025-08-20T03:22:54ZengBMCBiomarker Research2050-77712025-06-0113111410.1186/s40364-025-00802-1Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathologyGerard Serrano-Gómez0Francisca Yañez1Zaida Soler2Marc Pons-Tarin3Luis Mayorga4Claudia Herrera-deGuise5Natalia Borruel6Antonio Rodriguez-Sinovas7Marta Consegal8Isaac Manjón9Sara Vega-Abellaneda10Chaysavanh Manichanh11Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Cardiovascular Diseases Research Group, Department of Cardiology, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital CampusCardiovascular Diseases Research Group, Department of Cardiology, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital CampusMicrobiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Microbiome Lab, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)Abstract Background The gut microbiome plays a key role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as imbalances in microbial composition are associated with immune dysfunction. However, the specific mechanisms by which certain microorganisms contribute to this process remain unclear. Methods Here, we employed a multi-omics approach on fecal samples to identify novel microbiome markers and elucidate mechanisms underlying IBD. Shotgun metagenomics was applied to 212 samples (850 in total with validation cohort), shotgun metatranscriptomics to 103 samples and metabolomics to 105 samples. Machine learning techniques were used to predict disease and the three omics data were integrated to propose a mechanistic role of the microbiota. Results Metagenomic analysis identified Crohn's disease (CD)-specific microbiome signatures, including a panel of 20 species that achieved a high diagnostic performance, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.94 in an external validation set. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed significant alterations in microbial fermentation pathways in CD, but not in ulcerative colitis (UC), highlighting disruptions that explain the depletion of butyrate—a key anti-inflammatory metabolite—observed in metabolomics analysis. Integrative multi-omics analyses further identified active virulence factor genes in CD, predominantly originating from the adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC). Notably, these findings unveiled novel mechanisms, including E. coli-mediated aspartate depletion and the utilization of propionate, which drives the expression of the ompA virulence gene, critical for bacterial adherence and invasion of the host’s macrophages. Interestingly, these microbiome alterations were absent in UC, underscoring distinct mechanisms of disease development between the two IBD subtypes. Conclusions In conclusion, our study not only identifies promising novel biomarkers with strong diagnostic potential, which could be valuable in challenging clinical scenarios, but also offers an integrated multi-omics perspective on the microbial mechanisms underlying inflammation and virulence in Crohn's disease.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-025-00802-1Inflammatory bowel diseaseMicrobiomeMulti-omicsAdherent-invasive Escherichia coliVirulence gene
spellingShingle Gerard Serrano-Gómez
Francisca Yañez
Zaida Soler
Marc Pons-Tarin
Luis Mayorga
Claudia Herrera-deGuise
Natalia Borruel
Antonio Rodriguez-Sinovas
Marta Consegal
Isaac Manjón
Sara Vega-Abellaneda
Chaysavanh Manichanh
Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology
Biomarker Research
Inflammatory bowel disease
Microbiome
Multi-omics
Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli
Virulence gene
title Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology
title_full Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology
title_fullStr Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology
title_full_unstemmed Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology
title_short Microbiome multi-omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with CD etiopathology
title_sort microbiome multi omics analysis reveals novel biomarkers and mechanisms linked with cd etiopathology
topic Inflammatory bowel disease
Microbiome
Multi-omics
Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli
Virulence gene
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-025-00802-1
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