Association between Human Genetic Variants and the Vaginal Bacteriome of Pregnant Women
Wei Fan, Hui Kan, Haiyan Liu, Tianlei Wang, Yining He, Miao Zhang, Yaxin Li, Yijie Li, Wei Meng, Qing Li, Anqun Hu, Yingjie Zheng
Abstract
Knowledge about the influence of host genetics on the vaginal bacteriome in pregnancy is still limited. Although a number of environmental and behavioral factors may exert influences on the structure of vaginal bacterial communities, the vaginal bacteriome often undergoes a relatively fixed transition to a more stable and less diverse state as the menstrual cycle stops, which raises questions on the effects of human genetics. We utilized a genome-wide approach to identify the associations between genetic variants and multiple VBTs and performed enrichment analyses. The human genetics during pregnancy may be involved in multiple pathways. The results may disclose innate functional factors involved in shaping the vaginal bacteriome during pregnancy and provide insight into the establishment of specific strategies for prevention and clinical treatment of pregnancy complications.