The role of gut microbiota in fetal methylmercury exposure: Insights from a pilot study

Rothenberg, Sarah E.; Keiser, Sharon; Ajami, Nadim J.; Wong, Matthew C.; Gesell, Jonathan; Petrosino, Joseph F.; Johs, Alexander

doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2015.11.022

Title: The role of gut microbiota in fetal methylmercury exposure: Insights from a pilot study

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2016 · Toxicology Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxlet.2015.11.022· OSTI ID:1286950

Rothenberg, Sarah E. ^[1]; Keiser, Sharon ^[2];

^[3]; Wong, Matthew C. ^[3]; Gesell, Jonathan ^[3]; Petrosino, Joseph F. ^[3];

^[4]

Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States)
Greenville Health System, SC (United States)
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The mechanisms by which gut microbiota contribute to methylmercury metabolism remain unclear. Among a cohort of pregnant mothers, the main objectives of our pilot study were to determine 1) associations between gut microbiota and mercury concentrations in biomarkers (stool, hair and cord blood) and 2) the contributions of gut microbial mercury methylation/demethylation to stool methylmercury. Moreover, for pregnant women (36-39 weeks gestation, n=17) donated hair and stool specimens, and cord blood was collected for a subset (n=7). The diversity of gut microbiota was determined using 16S rRNA gene profiling (n=17). For 6 stool samples with highest/lowest methylmercury concentrations, metagenomic whole genome shotgun sequencing was employed to search for one mercury methylation gene (hgcA), and two mer operon genes involved in methylmercury detoxification (merA and merB). There were seventeen bacterial genera that were significantly correlated (increasing or decreasing) with stool methylmercury, stool inorganic mercury, or hair total mercury; however, aside from one genus, there was no overlap between biomarkers. No definitive matches for hgcA or merB, while merA were detected at low concentrations in all six samples. Proportional differences in stool methylmercury were not likely attributed to gut microbiota through methylation/demethylation. Gut microbiota potentially altered methylmercury metabolism using indirect pathways.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725; DE SC0006809

OSTI ID:: 1286950

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1396957

Journal Information:: Toxicology Letters, Vol. 242, Issue C; ISSN 0378-4274

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 38 works

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Title: The role of gut microbiota in fetal methylmercury exposure: Insights from a pilot study

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