Characterization of the intrahepatic microbiome in patients with HBV-related end-stage liver disease
BACKGROUND: Dysregulated microbiota is a hallmark of end-stage liver disease (ESLD). This study aimed to elucidate the intrahepatic microbiome in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related ESLD. METHODS: = 24), as well as 18 samples from donors. Metatranscriptomic sequencing was performed to profile liver microbiome and transcriptome. RESULTS: in ESLD displayed marked functional activation, including nutrient acquisition systems and virulence factors linked to adhesion, invasion, and toxin production. Integrated host - microbiome analysis revealed taxa-specific associations with impaired hepatic metabolic, immune, and structural integrity. CONCLUSION: This study delineates the compositional and functional reprogramming of the intrahepatic microbiome in patients with ESLD and its coupling with liver metabolic, immune, and structural pathways. These findings suggest the intrahepatic microbiome as a promising therapeutic target for ESLD.
Authors
- Jiyang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0043-0193)
- Chanyuan Ye
- Yida Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9673-0969)
- Ziqing Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8726-0160)
- Tianzhu Liang
- Yan Lv (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1075-436X)
- Sisi Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2696-9107)
- Zhou Yani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8710-2821)
- Biao Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0493-2062)
- Xi Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4638-3997)
- Y Shi
- Leiming Chen
- Hai Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1605-8082)
- Siqi Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9592-3670)
- Ying Nie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9723-9998)
- Yingfeng Lu
- X Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1204-6941)
- Na Pei
- Zelu Meng
- Hongyu Jia
- Guodong Yu
- Xin Zheng
- Yining Zhang
- Zhiwei Li
- Guoqiang Cao
- Xia Yu
- Huilan Tu
- Yiwei Liu
Institutions
- Botswana Geoscience Institute (BW)
- First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University (CN)
- BGI Research (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Virulence
- Published
- 2026-04-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2026.2665492
- Primary Topic
- Gut microbiota and health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases
- National Key Research and Development Program of China