A recent study published in Gut Microbes highlights the potential role of adipose tissue-associated bacterial DNA signatures in obesity and long-term outcomes following bariatric surgery.
Distinct microbial signatures in different adipose tissues
While obesity has long been associated with gut microbiota alterations, bacterial DNA can also be detected in peripheral tissues, including adipose tissues. In this study, researchers investigated with the contribution of Vaiomer the bacterial DNA profiles present in two adipose tissue depots collected during bariatric surgery:
- Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)
- Visceral adipose tissue (VAT)
Using targeted 16S rRNA gene sequencing and advanced bioinformatics analyses, we identified distinct bacterial DNA signatures associated with each adipose depot.
Several bacterial families were found to be enriched in subcutaneous adipose tissue, whereas others were predominantly associated with visceral adipose tissue, supporting the concept of location-specific tissue microbiome signatures already demonstrated before(Anhê et al., 2020).
Predicting long-term success after bariatric surgery
Although bariatric surgery is highly effective, some patients do not achieve durable long-term weight loss or later regain weight, which creates an important clinical need to better predict surgical response. One of the most significant findings of the study is the identification of adipose tissue bacterial DNA signatures that predict long-term body weight loss maintenance after bariatric surgery.
Patients were followed for up to 10 years after surgery, and specific pre-operative bacterial signatures successfully discriminated individuals who maintained substantial weight loss from those who experienced weight regain. The predictive performance of these signatures was particularly strong, suggesting their potential value as future biomarkers for patient stratification and personalized obesity management.
Exploring potential microbial functions
The researchers also used predictive metagenomic approaches to infer potential microbial metabolic pathways associated with the identified signatures. Although these functional predictions require further validation, they suggest that tissue-associated microbial communities may contribute to metabolic processes linked to adipose tissue biology and weight regulation.
Vaiomer’s contribution
As a partner in this collaborative project, Vaiomer performed the microbiome analyses using its expertise in low-biomass and complex tissue microbiome characterization and advanced sequencing workflows. Detecting and analyzing microbial DNA in tissues such as adipose depots require highly optimized protocols to minimize contamination and maximize analytical sensitivity.
CITATIONS
Identifying the location-dependent adipose tissue bacterial DNA signatures in obese patients that predict body weight loss
Matthieu Minty, Alberic Germain, Jiuwen Sun, Gracia Kaglan, Florence Servant, Benjamin Lelouvier, Emiri Misselis, Radu Mircea Neagoe, Menghini Rossella, Marina Cardellini, Rémy Burcelin, Massimo Federici, José Manuel Fernandez-Real, Vincent Blasco-Baque
Gut Microbes. 2025 Dec;17(1):2439105. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2439105. Epub 2024 Dec 23.
Abstract :
Recent sets of evidence have described profiles of 16S rDNA sequences in host tissues, notably in fat pads that are significantly overrepresented and can serve as signatures of metabolic disease. However, these recent and original observations need to be further detailed and functionally defined. Here, using state-of-the-art targeted DNA sequencing and discriminant predictive approaches, we describe, from the longitudinal FLORINASH cohort of patients who underwent bariatric surgery, visceral, and subcutaneous fat pad-specific bacterial 16SrRNA signatures. The corresponding Porphyromonadaceae, Campylobacteraceae, Prevotellaceae, Actimomycetaceae, Veillonellaceae, Anaerivoracaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, and the Clostridium family XI 16SrRNA DNA segment profiles are signatures of the subcutaneous adipose depot while Pseudomonadaceae and Micrococcacecae, 16SrRNA DNA sequence profiles characterize the visceral adipose depot. In addition, we have further identified that a specific pre-bariatric surgery adipose tissue bacterial DNA signature predicts the efficacy of body weight loss in obese patients 5-10 years after the surgery. 16SrRNA signatures discriminate (ROC ~ 1) the patients who did not maintain bodyweight loss and those who did. Second, from the 16SrRNA sequences we infer potential pathways suggestive of catabolic biochemical activities that could be signatures of subcutaneous adipose depots that predict body weight loss.
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; adipose fat pads; functional metagenomic; tissue microbiota.
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