Posters
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Post-doc
Academic Level (Author 1)
Post-doc
Discipline/Specialty (Author 1)
Immunology and Microbiology
Academic Level (Author 2)
Graduate Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 2)
Immunology and Microbiology
Academic Level (Author 3)
Post-doc
Discipline/Specialty (Author 3)
Immunology and Microbiology
Academic Level (Author 4)
Post-doc
Discipline/Specialty (Author 4)
Immunology and Microbiology
Academic Level (Author 5)
Faculty
Discipline/Specialty (Author 5)
Immunology and Microbiology
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Community/Public Health
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Background: The Rio Grande Valley is a major hot spot for Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver diseases in the nation. Before the occurrence of HCC, the liver undergoes several complex changes, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) that encompasses a spectrum of diseases from simple steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and cirrhosis. However, mechanisms associated with the progression of the disease are not yet fully known and characterized. Recent studies are suggesting a critical role of the microbiome in cancer progression and prevention. In this article, we sought to investigate bacterial colonization at the liver site that can discriminate MASLD patients having HCC risk. We have investigated alterations in the tissue microbiome at different HCC precursor liver disease stages.
Methods: In this study, we performed comparative profiling of bacterial populations in MASLD, MASH, HCC, and Cirrhosis using 16S rRNA-based metagenomics analysis with Illumina MiSeq. DNA purification was achieved using the QIAamp DNA FFPE Advanced Kit. The quantity and quality of the extracted DNA were assessed using a NanoDrop 2000 spectrophotometer and a Qubit dsDNA Broad-Range assay. DNA integrity was evaluated with a TapeStation. The bioinformatic analysis was performed using Mothur, Microbiome Analyst, and Phyloseq R. Statistical correlation was achieved by the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: We observed that phylum Proteobacteria was most abundantly found in the liver of MASLD patients, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteria, and were found to be significantly reduced in MASH, Cirrhosis, and HCC. The analysis using the Microbiome Analyst tool, considering the OTU counts, showed the abundance at the family level for taxa Beijerinckiaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Streptococcaceae in the case of MASLD as compared to MASH, Cirrhosis, and HCC. Microbial diversity exists between the groups as shown by the alpha-diversity (Shannon diversity), Chao1 (p-value: 0.055535), and Fisher's alpha (p-value: 0.00062113). Principal coordinate (PC) plots based on the Bray-Curtis Index demonstrate a distinguished clustering pattern across the four groups, with a significant difference shown between MASLD and HCC (p-value: 0.001, R2= 0.044809). MASH patients showed a higher abundance of genera Ruminococcus, Enterobacter, Ellagibacter, and Enterococcus in comparison with MASLD. In addition, Cirrhosis showed a higher abundance of genera Collinsella, Veillonella, and Prevotella. LEfSe analysis results showed the high abundance of species such as Ruminococcus callidus, Enterobacter kobei, Staphylococcus warneri, and Kocuria rhizophila in MASH groups, indicating the alteration of species from commensal to opportunistic pathogens. Spearman correlation analysis explores the correlation between liver disease progression and alterations in microbiome diversity in all groups.
Conclusion: This type of study can be highly useful to precisely determine the etiology of HCC and for developing microbial species-based newer diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers of HCC. These studies are highly relevant, especially for Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Hispanics, as this population is disproportionately affected by HCC. In fact, RGV is a major hot spot for HCC and liver diseases in the nation; hence, proposed studies will address a major regional health issue and HCC health disparity.
Also presented as an Oral Presentation.
Recommended Citation
Singh, Shweta; Vidaurri, Sierra; Dhasmana, Anupam; Dhasmana, Swati; Kumar, Bablu; Gallan, Jacob; Garcia-Rodriguez, Natasha; Yallapu, Murali Mohan; Chauhan, Subhash C.; and Khan, Sheema, "Microbiome Dynamics in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Among Rio Grande Valley Hispanics" (2025). Research Symposium. 149.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/posters/149
Included in
Microbiome Dynamics in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Among Rio Grande Valley Hispanics
Background: The Rio Grande Valley is a major hot spot for Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver diseases in the nation. Before the occurrence of HCC, the liver undergoes several complex changes, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) that encompasses a spectrum of diseases from simple steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and cirrhosis. However, mechanisms associated with the progression of the disease are not yet fully known and characterized. Recent studies are suggesting a critical role of the microbiome in cancer progression and prevention. In this article, we sought to investigate bacterial colonization at the liver site that can discriminate MASLD patients having HCC risk. We have investigated alterations in the tissue microbiome at different HCC precursor liver disease stages.
Methods: In this study, we performed comparative profiling of bacterial populations in MASLD, MASH, HCC, and Cirrhosis using 16S rRNA-based metagenomics analysis with Illumina MiSeq. DNA purification was achieved using the QIAamp DNA FFPE Advanced Kit. The quantity and quality of the extracted DNA were assessed using a NanoDrop 2000 spectrophotometer and a Qubit dsDNA Broad-Range assay. DNA integrity was evaluated with a TapeStation. The bioinformatic analysis was performed using Mothur, Microbiome Analyst, and Phyloseq R. Statistical correlation was achieved by the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: We observed that phylum Proteobacteria was most abundantly found in the liver of MASLD patients, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteria, and were found to be significantly reduced in MASH, Cirrhosis, and HCC. The analysis using the Microbiome Analyst tool, considering the OTU counts, showed the abundance at the family level for taxa Beijerinckiaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Streptococcaceae in the case of MASLD as compared to MASH, Cirrhosis, and HCC. Microbial diversity exists between the groups as shown by the alpha-diversity (Shannon diversity), Chao1 (p-value: 0.055535), and Fisher's alpha (p-value: 0.00062113). Principal coordinate (PC) plots based on the Bray-Curtis Index demonstrate a distinguished clustering pattern across the four groups, with a significant difference shown between MASLD and HCC (p-value: 0.001, R2= 0.044809). MASH patients showed a higher abundance of genera Ruminococcus, Enterobacter, Ellagibacter, and Enterococcus in comparison with MASLD. In addition, Cirrhosis showed a higher abundance of genera Collinsella, Veillonella, and Prevotella. LEfSe analysis results showed the high abundance of species such as Ruminococcus callidus, Enterobacter kobei, Staphylococcus warneri, and Kocuria rhizophila in MASH groups, indicating the alteration of species from commensal to opportunistic pathogens. Spearman correlation analysis explores the correlation between liver disease progression and alterations in microbiome diversity in all groups.
Conclusion: This type of study can be highly useful to precisely determine the etiology of HCC and for developing microbial species-based newer diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers of HCC. These studies are highly relevant, especially for Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Hispanics, as this population is disproportionately affected by HCC. In fact, RGV is a major hot spot for HCC and liver diseases in the nation; hence, proposed studies will address a major regional health issue and HCC health disparity.
Also presented as an Oral Presentation.
