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Shotgun Metagenomics of Human Gut Microbiota Up to Extreme Longevity and the Increasing Role of Xenobiotics Degradation

21 Pages Posted: 15 Jul 2019 Publication Status: Review Complete

See all articles by Simone Rampelli

Simone Rampelli

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology; University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Matteo Soverini

University of Bologna

Federica D'Amico

University of Bologna

Monica Barone

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Teresa Tavella

University of Bologna

Daniela Monti

University of Florence

Miriam Capri

University of Bologna

Annalisa Astolfi

University of Bologna - "Giorgio Prodi" Cancer Research Center

Patrizia Brigidi

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Elena Biagi

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Claudio Franceschi

IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB) - Bellaria Hospital

Silvia Turroni

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology; University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Marco Candela

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology; University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

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Abstract

Longevity has been described as the result of a complex combination of variables, hailing from genetics, lifestyle and environment. In this context, the intestinal microbiome has been proposed as a possible mediator of healthy aging that preserves host-environment homeostasis by counteracting inflammaging, intestinal permeability, and deterioration of cognitive and bone health. Correlations have been previously found between age-related gut microbiota dysbioses and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, hospitalization, poor diet and frailty in the elderly. More recently, the longest human gut microbiota trajectory along aging has been built, by comparing the fecal bacterial taxa from healthy adults and older individuals, also including semi-supercentenarians, i.e. people aged 105 or older. However, the functional changes that occur in the gut microbiome along with age are still largely unexplored. In an attempt to provide some glimpses in this direction and advance our knowledge on whether and how the gut microbiome may support the maintenance of health in extreme aging, here we characterized the fecal microbiome of 62 individuals, with age ranging from 22 to 105 years, by shotgun metagenomics. According to our findings, aging is characterized by an increased number of genes involved in xenobiotics degradation, as well as by rearrangements in metabolic pathways related to carbohydrate, amino acid and lipid metabolism. These microbiome features are even more boosted in semi-supercentenarians, probably representing the result of a life-long adaptive response to progressive changes in diet and lifestyle.

Keywords: Microbiome, Metagenome, Extreme-longevity, Xenobiotics, Ageing

Suggested Citation

Rampelli, Simone and Soverini, Matteo and D'Amico, Federica and Barone, Monica and Tavella, Teresa and Monti, Daniela and Capri, Miriam and Astolfi, Annalisa and Brigidi, Patrizia and Biagi, Elena and Franceschi, Claudio and Turroni, Silvia and Candela, Marco, Shotgun Metagenomics of Human Gut Microbiota Up to Extreme Longevity and the Increasing Role of Xenobiotics Degradation (July 12, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3419082 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3419082
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Simone Rampelli (Contact Author)

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology ( email )

Bologna
Italy

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health ( email )

Italy

Matteo Soverini

University of Bologna

Piazza Scaravilli 2
Bologna, 40100
Italy

Federica D'Amico

University of Bologna

Piazza Scaravilli 2
Bologna, 40100
Italy

Monica Barone

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Italy

Teresa Tavella

University of Bologna

Piazza Scaravilli 2
Bologna, 40100
Italy

Daniela Monti

University of Florence

Piazza di San Marco, 4
Florence, 50121
Italy

Miriam Capri

University of Bologna

Piazza Scaravilli 2
Bologna, 40100
Italy

Annalisa Astolfi

University of Bologna - "Giorgio Prodi" Cancer Research Center

Spain

Patrizia Brigidi

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Italy

Elena Biagi

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Italy

Claudio Franceschi

IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB) - Bellaria Hospital ( email )

Via Altura, 3
Padiglione G
Bologna BO, 40139
Italy

Silvia Turroni

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology

Bologna
Italy

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health

Italy

Marco Candela

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology

Bologna
Italy

University of Bologna - Unit of Microbial Ecology of Health ( email )

Italy

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