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Yap CX, Henders AK, Alvares GA, Wood DLA, Krause L, Tyson GW, Restuadi R, Wallace L, McLaren T, Hansell NK, Cleary D, Grove R, Hafekost C, Harun A, Holdsworth H, Jellett R, Khan F, Lawson LP, Leslie J, Frenk ML, Masi A, Mathew NE, Muniandy M, Nothard M, Miller JL, Nunn L, Holtmann G, Strike LT, de Zubicaray GI, Thompson PM, McMahon KL, Wright MJ, Visscher PM, Dawson PA, Dissanayake C, Eapen V, Heussler HS, McRae AF, Whitehouse AJO, Wray NR, Gratten J. Autism-related dietary preferences mediate autism-gut microbiome associations. Cell 2021; 184:5916-5931.e17. [PMID: 34767757 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in the potential contribution of the gut microbiome to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, previous studies have been underpowered and have not been designed to address potential confounding factors in a comprehensive way. We performed a large autism stool metagenomics study (n = 247) based on participants from the Australian Autism Biobank and the Queensland Twin Adolescent Brain project. We found negligible direct associations between ASD diagnosis and the gut microbiome. Instead, our data support a model whereby ASD-related restricted interests are associated with less-diverse diet, and in turn reduced microbial taxonomic diversity and looser stool consistency. In contrast to ASD diagnosis, our dataset was well powered to detect microbiome associations with traits such as age, dietary intake, and stool consistency. Overall, microbiome differences in ASD may reflect dietary preferences that relate to diagnostic features, and we caution against claims that the microbiome has a driving role in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe X Yap
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Anjali K Henders
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Gail A Alvares
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - David L A Wood
- Microba Life Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
| | - Lutz Krause
- Microba Life Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
| | - Gene W Tyson
- Microba Life Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia; Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Restuadi Restuadi
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Leanne Wallace
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Tiana McLaren
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Narelle K Hansell
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Dominique Cleary
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Rachel Grove
- Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia; School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Claire Hafekost
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Alexis Harun
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Helen Holdsworth
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Rachel Jellett
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Feroza Khan
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Lauren P Lawson
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Jodie Leslie
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Mira Levis Frenk
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Anne Masi
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Nisha E Mathew
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Melanie Muniandy
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Michaela Nothard
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Jessica L Miller
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Lorelle Nunn
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Gerald Holtmann
- Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health and Behavioural Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Lachlan T Strike
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Greig I de Zubicaray
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark & Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging & Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Katie L McMahon
- School of Clinical Sciences, Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
| | - Margaret J Wright
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Peter M Visscher
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Paul A Dawson
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Cheryl Dissanayake
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Valsamma Eapen
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry South West Sydney, Ingham Institute, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Helen S Heussler
- Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia; Child Development Program, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Allan F McRae
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Andrew J O Whitehouse
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Naomi R Wray
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia
| | - Jacob Gratten
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Long Pocket, Queensland 4068, Australia.
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