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Exploring the relationship between the gut microbiome and host genome in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder
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  • Michaela A O’Hare,
  • Carlien Rust,
  • Stefanie Malan-Müller,
  • Walter Pirovano,
  • Christopher Lowry,
  • Matsepo Ramaboli,
  • Leigh L van den Heuvel,
  • Soraya Seedat,
  • PGC-PTSD Microbiome Workgroup,
  • Sian MJ Hemmings
Michaela A O’Hare
Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
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Carlien Rust
Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
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Stefanie Malan-Müller
Universidad Complutense de Madrid Departamento de Farmacologia y Toxicologia
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Walter Pirovano
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research
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Christopher Lowry
University of Colorado Boulder Center for Neuroscience
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Matsepo Ramaboli
Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
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Leigh L van den Heuvel
Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
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Soraya Seedat
Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
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PGC-PTSD Microbiome Workgroup
Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Microbiome Workgroup
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Sian MJ Hemmings
Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Corresponding Author:smjh@sun.ac.za

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Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop following trauma exposure; however, not all trauma-exposed individuals develop PTSD, suggesting the presence of susceptibility and resilience factors. The gut microbiome and host genome, which are interconnected, have been implicated in the aetiology of PTSD. However, their interaction has yet to be investigated in a South African population. Using genome-wide genotype data and 16S rRNA gene V4 sequencing data from 53 trauma-exposed controls and 74 PTSD cases, we observed no significant association between the host genome and summed abundance of Mitsuokella, Odoribacter, Catenibacterium, and Olsenella, previously reported as associated with PTSD status in this cohort. However, PROM2 rs2278067 was found to interact with PTSD status to influence the summed abundance of these genera ( p < 0.014). Polygenic risk scores generated using genome-wide association study summary statistics from the PGC-PTSD Overall Freeze 2 were not predictive of gut microbial composition in this cohort. These preliminary results suggest a potential role for the interaction between genetic variation and gut microbial composition in the context of PTSD, underscoring the need for further investigation.