Title

Gut Microbiome Diversity among Cheyenne and Arapaho Individuals from Western Oklahoma

Authors

Krithivasan Sankaranarayanan, University of Oklahoma
Andrew T. Ozga, University of OklahomaFollow
Christina Warinner, University of Oklahoma
Raul Y. Tito, University of Oklahoma
Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito, University of Oklahoma
Jiawu Xu, University of Oklahoma
Patrick M. Gaffney, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Lori L. Jervis, University of Oklahoma
Derrell Cox, University of Oklahoma
Lancer Stephens, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Morris Foster, Old Dominion University
Gloria Tallbull, University of Oklahoma
Paul Spicer, University of Oklahoma
Cecil M. Lewis Jr., University of Oklahoma

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-21-2015

Publication Title

Current Biology

ISSN

0960-9822

Volume

25

First Page

3161

Last Page

3169

Abstract

Existing studies characterizing gut microbiome variation in the United States suffer from population ascertainment biases, with individuals of American Indian ancestry being among the most underrepresented. Here, we describe the first gut microbiome diversity study of an American Indian community. We partnered with the Cheyenne and Arapaho (C&A), federally recognized American Indian tribes in Oklahoma, and compared gut microbiome diversity and metabolic function of C&A participants to individuals of non-native ancestry in Oklahoma (NNIs). While the C&A and NNI participants share microbiome features common to industrialized populations, the C&A participants had taxonomic profiles characterized by a reduced abundance of the anti-inflammatory bacterial genus Faecalibacterium, along with a fecal metabolite profile similar to dysbiotic states described for metabolic disorders. American Indians are known to be at elevated risk for metabolic disorders. While many aspects of this health disparity remain poorly understood, our results support the need to further study the microbiome as a contributing factor. As the field of microbiome research transitions to therapeutic interventions, it raises concerns that the continued exclusion and lack of participation of American Indian communities in these studies will further exacerbate health disparities. To increase momentum in fostering these much needed partnerships, it is essential that the scientific community actively engage in and recruit these vulnerable populations in basic research through a strategy that promotes mutual trust and understanding, as outlined in this study.

NSUWorks Citation

Sankaranarayanan, Krithivasan; Andrew T. Ozga; Christina Warinner; Raul Y. Tito; Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito; Jiawu Xu; Patrick M. Gaffney; Lori L. Jervis; Derrell Cox; Lancer Stephens; Morris Foster; Gloria Tallbull; Paul Spicer; and Cecil M. Lewis Jr.. 2015. "Gut Microbiome Diversity among Cheyenne and Arapaho Individuals from Western Oklahoma." Current Biology 25, (): 3161-3169. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.060.

ORCID ID

0000-0003-4540-7106

ResearcherID

D-1147-2018

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.060