Hereditary or transmitted gut microbes affect skeletal development in animals

Gut microbes passed from female mice to their offspring, or shared between cohabiting mice, can affect the animal’s bone mass, says a new study published today in eLife.

The findings suggest that treatments that alter the gut may help improve bone structure or treat conditions that weaken bones, such as osteoporosis.

Genetics accounts for most of the variability in human bone density, but non-genetic factors such as gut microbes may play a role. We wanted to study the effects of the microbiome on skeletal growth and bone development. “

Abdul Malik Tyagi, Lead Author, Assistant Staff Scientist at the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipids at the Emory Microbiome Research Center, Emory University, Georgia, USA

To do this, Tyagi and colleagues studied mice that had no gut microbes. They moved fecal material containing a gut microbe called segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB), which promotes bone fracture, into the animals. Their studies showed that the children of mice treated with SFB were colonized by these bacteria at birth and had a worse bone structure than similar mice that did not have SFB.

In addition, mice that lived together with other SFB-carrying mice were colonized by the bacteria within four weeks, and developed worse bone structure as a result. “Our work shows that microbes can be inherited or passed between individuals and have a significant impact on skeletal development in the animals,” Tyagi says.

“More studies are now needed to determine if the same is true in humans,” says lead author Roberto Pacifici, Garland Herndon Professor of Medicine, and Director of the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipids, at Emory University. “If so, then it may be possible to develop treatments that alter the gut midge early in life to allow for healthy skeletal growth.

“It would also suggest that caution must be exercised regarding the current use of fecal transplants to treat other conditions in patients, to ensure that bone-weakening bacteria are not inadvertently introduced , “Pacifici concludes.