Helsingin yliopisto

Research Projects

Project Description: "Intestinal Microbiota in Health and IBS" -Group

This project is focused on characterization of the detailed bacterial phylotype diversity present in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, as well as quantification of gut bacteria on different phylogenetic levels. We are particularly interested in finding out whether alterations of gut microbiota could underlie the GI tract functional disorders, such as the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We have approached this question by comparing the GI microbiotas of IBS patients and healthy volunteers with a range of molecular techniques that provide complementary information to each other. We discovered variation between IBS and control subjects in Clostridium coccoides subgroup and Bifidobacterium catenulatum group by using a qPCR panel encompassing 20 different assays covering approximately 300 bacterial species. Subsequent genomic %G+C profiling followed by cloning, sequencing and qPCR analysis for the same set of samples revealed significant (P < 0.05) differences between the clone libraries of phylotypes belonging to the genera Coprococcus, Collinsella, and Coprobacillus. Data accumulated from these studies is used as a basis for development of a microarray to be used as a tool in IBS diagnostics.

The other ongoing activities involve further characterization of microbiota associated with healthy gut as well as diarrhoeal IBS. Effect of ingesting probiotics, especially in relation to the effect of probiotics on the gut microbiota composition, is being studied in two surveys. Our future goals include also isolation and characterization of GI bacteria associated either with “healthy” or “IBS” status.

This project has been funded by TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), the Academy of Finland and the ABS Graduate School.

Project Members:

Airi Palva, Professor
Lotta Krogius-Kurikka, PhD student
Teemu Rinttilä, PhD student

Academic Collaborators:

University of Helsinki, Institute of Biotechnology Dr. Lars Paulin, Group Leader Dr. Petri Auvinen, Laboratory Director	Åbo Akademi University, Department of Mathematics Prof. Jukka Corander
University of Kuopio, Institute of Applied Biotechnology Prof. Atte von Wright	VTT Biotechnology Dr. Maria Saarela, Chief Scientist

 

Relevant Reading:

Kassinen, A., Krogius-Kurikka, L., Mäkivuokko, H., Rinttilä, T., Paulin, L., Corander, J., Malinen, E., Apajalahti, J. and Palva, A. (2007). The fecal microbiota of irritable bowel syndrome patients differs significantly from that of healthy subjects. Gastroenterology 133:24-33.

Malinen, E., Rinttilä, T., Kajander, K., Mättö, J., Kassinen, A., Krogius, L., Saarela, M., Korpela, R. and Palva, A. (2005). Analysis of the fecal microbiota of irritable bowel syndrome patients and healthy controls with real-time PCR. American Journal of Gastroenterology 100:373-382.

Rinttilä, T., Kassinen, A., Malinen, E., Krogius, L. and Palva, A. (2004). Development of an extensive set of 16S rDNA-targeted primers for quantification of pathogenic and indigenous bacteria in fecal samples by real-time PCR. Journal of Applied Microbiology 97:1166-1177.