Host genomic variation shapes gut microbiome diversity in threespine stickleback fish
Authors: Small Clayton M. , Beck Emily A. , Currey Mark C. , Tavalire Hannah F. , Bassham Susan , Cresko William A. 
Published: August 2023

Variation among host-associated microbiomes is well documented across species, populations, and individuals. While numerous factors can contribute to this variation, understanding the influence of host genetic differences on microbial variation is particularly important for predicting co-evolutionary dynamics between hosts and their microbiota. Functional understanding of host genetic and microbial covariation is also of biomedical relevance, for example, providing insights into why some humans are more susceptible to chronic disorders like inflammatory bowel diseases. Unfortunately, disentangling the relative contribution to microbiome variation of host genetics from the environment has been difficult, particularly in humans where confounding environmental effects cannot be completely controlled experimentally. While isogenic laboratory models can be used in controlled environments, the effects on microbiomes of induced large-effect mutations may not recapitulate those of genetic variation observed in nature. Few studies have tested for the direct influence of natural host genetic variation on microbiome differences within a highly controlled environment in which hosts interact freely. To fill this gap, we performed a common garden experiment using families of genetically divergent populations of threespine stickleback fish—an outbred model organism commonly used for determining the genetic basis of complex traits in the context of natural genetic variation. Using germ-free derivation of divergent lines and hybrids between them in this experimental framework, we detected a clear, positive association between stickleback genetic dissimilarity and microbiome dissimilarity. With RAD-seq data, we identified regions of the genome that contributed most significantly to this relationship, providing insight into the genomic architecture of gut microbiome variation.

IMPORTANCE

A major focus of host-microbe research is to understand how genetic differences, of various magnitudes, among hosts translate to differences in their microbiomes. This has been challenging for animal hosts, including humans, because it is difficult to control environmental variables tightly enough to isolate direct genetic effects on the microbiome. Our work in stickleback fish is a significant contribution because our experimental approach allowed strict control over environmental factors, including standardization of the microbiome from the earliest stage of development and unrestricted co-housing of fish in a truly common environment. Furthermore, we measured host genetic variation over 2,000 regions of the stickleback genome, comparing this information and microbiome composition data among fish from very similar and very different genetic backgrounds. Our findings highlight how differences in the host genome influence microbiome diversity and make a case for future manipulative microbiome experiments that use host systems with naturally occurring genetic variation.