Blood transcriptome bridges orthogonal immunotypes and gut microbiome enterotypes in humans
Unveiling the systemic effects of disease and health requires a holistic approach that has mainly revolved around well-established, determinable molecular relationships such as the protein synthesis cascade and epigenetic mechanisms. In this study, we integrate multi-modal data from a cohort of 394 individuals to identify direct linkage of branches spanning human biological functions often not studied in conjunction, using clinical data, gut microbial abundances, blood immune cell compositions, blood transcriptomic and blood T cell receptor data. Contrary to current paradigms, we demonstrate that immunotypes and enterotypes are orthogonal, likely fulfilling distinct roles in maintaining homeostasis, bridged via the blood transcriptome. We identify two distinct inflammatory profiles: the first driven by interferon signaling and the other characterized by non-viral, NF-kB and IL-6 markers. Lastly, we present compelling data showing strong associations of Ruminococcaceae and Christensenellaceae bacteria with healthy immunotype and transcriptomic patterns, highlighting their potential role in immune health.
Authors
- Samuel Coenen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1238-8052)
- Ilke De Boeck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0764-8515)
- Esther Bartholomeus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2127-5161)
- Benson Ogunjimi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0831-2063)
- Eva Lion (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2420-0301)
- Pieter Meysman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5903-633X)
- Kris Laukens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8217-2564)
- Hans De Reu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0120-3160)
- Kevin K. Ariën (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1340-4165)
- Vincent Van Deuren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0850-5030)
- Hilde Jansens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9578-428X)
- Philippe Beutels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5034-3595)
- Thies Gehrmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-5406)
- Sarah Lebeer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9400-6918)
- Reinout Naesens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1004-7737)
- Romi Vandoren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2694-5251)
- Karin Peeters
- Arvid Suls (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0328-198X)
- Fabio Affaticati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3520-1286)
- Jolien Schippers
- Patrick Soentjens
- Sami Alcedo
- Herman Goossens
- Sabrina Van Ierssel
- Pierre Van Damme
- Erika Vlieghe
- Mariia Kuznetsova
- Koen Vercauteren
- My K. Ha
Institutions
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Antwerp Management School (BE)
- Antwerp University Hospital (BE)
- Queen Astrid Military Hospital (BE)
- Infectious Diseases Institute (UG)
- Biomedical Informatics Research Center Antwerp (BE)
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics (RU)
- Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cell Reports
- Published
- 2026-07-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117752
- Primary Topic
- Gut microbiota and health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek