De-Discovery of the Placenta Microbiome

Bushman, Frederic D.

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2018.11.1093

Cited by 61 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…All multicellular life hosts microbial life, and the relationships between microorganisms and host lineages appear to be stable over millions of years of host evolution (Moeller et al, 2016(Moeller et al, , 2019Nishida & Ochman, 2018, 2019. In animals, the majority of these microbes reside in the intestinal tract, where they may number in the trillions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the microbiome in the neurobiology of social behaviour

et al. 2020

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Microbes colonise all multicellular life, and the gut microbiome has been shown to influence a range of host physiological and behavioural phenotypes. One of the most intriguing and least understood of these influences lies in the domain of the microbiome's interactions with host social behaviour, with new evidence revealing that the gut microbiome makes important contributions to animal sociality. However, little is known about the biological processes through which the microbiome might influence host social behaviour. Here, we synthesise evidence of the gut microbiome's interactions with various aspects of host sociality, including sociability, social cognition, social stress, and autism. We discuss evidence of microbial associations with the most likely physiological mediators of animal social interaction. These include the structure and function of regions of the ‘social' brain (the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus) and the regulation of ‘social’ signalling molecules (glucocorticoids including corticosterone and cortisol, sex hormones including testosterone, oestrogens, and progestogens, neuropeptide hormones such as oxytocin and arginine vasopressin, and monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine). We also discuss microbiome‐associated host genetic and epigenetic processes relevant to social behaviour. We then review research on microbial interactions with olfaction in insects and mammals, which contribute to social signalling and communication. Following these discussions, we examine evidence of microbial associations with emotion and social behaviour in humans, focussing on psychobiotic studies, microbe–depression correlations, early human development, autism, and issues of statistical power, replication, and causality. We analyse how the putative physiological mediators of the microbiome–sociality connection may be investigated, and discuss issues relating to the interpretation of results. We also suggest that other candidate molecules should be studied, insofar as they exert effects on social behaviour and are known to interact with the microbiome. Finally, we consider different models of the sequence of microbial effects on host physiological development, and how these may contribute to host social behaviour.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the microbiome in the neurobiology of social behaviour

et al. 2020

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“…spp. detected by sequencing represent contaminants originating from DNA extraction kits or other sources [54][55][56]58,59 . In this report, we identify R. insidiosa as a bona fide resident at the maternal-fetal interface by using species-specific FISH probes to confirm and localize R. insidiosa within BP tissue specimens at term.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional characterization ofRalstonia insidiosa, a bona fide resident at the maternal-fetal interface

Parnell

Willsey

Joshi

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Controversy about whether there are microbes in the placenta and if they have any functional importance during pregnancy and for neonatal health is ongoing. Previous work has demonstrated that the basal plate (BP), comprising maternal and fetal derived cells harbors intracellular bacteria. 16S sequencing and bacterial species-specific analysis of term placentas revealed that the gram-negative bacillus Ralstonia insidiosa, native to aqueous environments and an effective biofilm promoter, comprises the most abundant species in the BP. Here, we demonstrate whether R. insidiosa cells home to a particular niche in the BP, how they may arrive there, and whether they are associated with adverse outcomes. We developed methods to detect and study cell-specific localization of R.insidiosa using ex vivo and in vitro models. Additionally, we studied potential routes of R.insidiosa entry into the placenta. We show that R. insidiosa is a bona fide resident in human placental BP. It can access trophoblast cells in culture and within basal plate tissues where it localizes to intracellular single-membrane vacuoles and can replicate.However, the presence of R. insidiosa does not cause cell death and does not induce a pro-inflammatory immune response suggesting that it is not harmful in and of itself.Finally, we show that in a pregnant mouse model, R. insidiosa traffics to the placenta via the intrauterine route but does not induce preterm labor or preterm birth. Together, our findings provide a foundation for understanding non-pathogenic placental cell-microbe interactions and the functional importance of R. insidiosa in placental health and physiology.

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“…Surprisingly, these early data suggested that the placental microbiome resembles the oral cavity microbiome rather than that of adjacent sites, e.g., the vagina. Since these early reports, several reservations on this notion and its implications on pregnancy complications have been voiced, noting that the low-biomass that bacterial DNA in the placenta represents, is sensitive to capturing background contamination (from DNA extraction kits, polymerase chain reaction reagents, and laboratory environments) (45,46). Recent meticulous analyses of metagenomic DNA, consistently found no significant differences in the abundance and/or presence of a microbiota between placental tissue (term women without labor) and background technical controls (14,47).…”

Section: Placental Microbiotamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interplay Between Reproductive Tract Microbiota and Immunological System in Human Reproduction

et al. 2020

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In the last decade, the microbiota, i.e., combined populations of microorganisms living inside and on the surface of the human body, has increasingly attracted attention of researchers in the medical field. Indeed, since the completion of the Human Microbiome Project, insight and interest in the role of microbiota in health and disease, also through study of its combined genomes, the microbiome, has been steadily expanding. One less explored field of microbiome research has been the female reproductive tract. Research mainly from the past decade suggests that microbial communities residing in the reproductive tract represent a large proportion of the female microbial network and appear to be involved in reproductive failure and pregnancy complications. Microbiome research is facing technological and methodological challenges, as detection techniques and analysis methods are far from being standardized. A further hurdle is understanding the complex host-microbiota interaction and the confounding effect of a multitude of constitutional and environmental factors. A key regulator of this interaction is the maternal immune system that, during the peri-conceptional stage and even more so during pregnancy, undergoes considerable modulation. This review aims to summarize the current literature on reproductive tract microbiota describing the composition of microbiota in different anatomical locations (vagina, cervix, endometrium, and placenta). We also discuss putative mechanisms of interaction between such microbial communities and various aspects of the immune system, with a focus on the characteristic immunological changes during normal pregnancy. Furthermore, we discuss how abnormal microbiota composition, "dysbiosis," is linked to a spectrum of clinical disorders related to the female reproductive system and how the maternal immune system is involved. Finally, based on the data presented in this review, the future perspectives in diagnostic approaches, research directions and therapeutic opportunities are explored.

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De-Discovery of the Placenta Microbiome

Cited by 61 publications

References 15 publications

The role of the microbiome in the neurobiology of social behaviour

The role of the microbiome in the neurobiology of social behaviour

Functional characterization ofRalstonia insidiosa, a bona fide resident at the maternal-fetal interface

The Interplay Between Reproductive Tract Microbiota and Immunological System in Human Reproduction

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