Alterations of oral and gut viromes in hypertension and/or periodontitis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The microbiota plays an important role in both hypertension (HTN) and periodontitis (PD), and PD exacerbates the development of HTN by oral and gut microbiota. Previous studies have focused on exploring the importance of the bacteriome in HTN and PD but overlooked the impact of the virome, which is also a member of the microbiota. We collected 180 samples of subgingival plaques, saliva, and feces from a cohort of healthy subjects (nHTNnPD), subjects with HTN (HTNnPD) or PD (PDnHTN), and subjects with both HTN and PD (HTNPD). We performed metagenomic sequencing to assess the roles of the oral and gut viromes in HTN and PD. The HTNnPD, PDnHTN, and HTNPD groups all showed significantly distinct beta diversity from the nHTNnPD group in saliva. We analyzed alterations in oral and gut viral composition in HTN and/or PD and identified significantly changed viruses in each group. Many viruses across three sites were significantly associated with blood pressure and other clinical parameters. Combined with these clinical associations, we found that Gillianvirus in subgingival plaques was negatively associated with HTN and that Torbevirus in saliva was positively associated with HTN. We found that Pepyhexavirus from subgingival plaques was indicated to be transferred to the gut. We finally evaluated viral-bacterial transkingdom interactions and found that viruses and bacteria may cooperate to affect HTN and PD. Correspondingly, HTN and PD may synergize to improve communications between viruses and bacteria. IMPORTANCE Periodontitis (PD) and hypertension (HTN) are both highly prevalent worldwide and cause serious adverse outcomes. Increasing studies have shown that PD exacerbates HTN by oral and gut microbiota. Previous studies have focused on exploring the importance of the bacteriome in HTN and PD but overlooked the impact of the virome, even though viruses are common inhabitants in humans. Alterations in oral and gut viral diversity and composition contribute to diseases. The present study, for the first time, profiled the oral and gut viromes in HTN and/or PD. We identified key indicator viruses and their clinical implications in HTN and/or PD. We also investigated interactions between viruses and bacteria. This work improved the overall understanding of the viromes in HTN and PD, providing vital insights into the role of the virome in the development of HTN and PD.