/ en Wed, 28 Jan 26 11:30:32 -0500 /news/how-genes-influence-microbes-our-mouths <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" 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href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:30:32 +0000 jcolaros 5560146 at /news/ai-generates-short-dna-sequences-show-promise-gene-therapies <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div 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style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:31:34 +0000 jcolaros 5560126 at /news/scientists-develop-molecules-may-treat-crohns-disease <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div 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style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:39:11 +0000 Corie Lok 5560116 at /news/researchers-uncover-molecular-roots-fibrosis-or-tissue-scarring-inflammatory-bowel-disease <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous" /></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/rss/news-blog-feed&title=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog+/rss/news-blog-feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:33:04 +0000 leah@broadinstitute.org 5560046 at /news/high-fat-diets-make-liver-cells-more-likely-become-cancerous <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous" /></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/rss/news-blog-feed&title=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog+/rss/news-blog-feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:05:17 +0000 tulrich@broadinstitute.org 5559951 at /news/new-study-suggests-way-rejuvenate-immune-system <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div 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style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:00:59 +0000 Corie Lok 5559931 at /news/findings-point-path-forward-treatment-rare-genetic-disease <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous" /></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/rss/news-blog-feed&title=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog+/rss/news-blog-feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:23:25 +0000 leah@broadinstitute.org 5559856 at /news/nih-director-jay-bhattacharya-visits-broad-engage-scientists-about-impact-federally-funded <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous" /></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/rss/news-blog-feed&title=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog+/rss/news-blog-feed" 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class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:07:13 +0000 Corie Lok 5559781 at /news/new-ai-model-could-speed-rare-disease-diagnosis <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous" /></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/rss/news-blog-feed&title=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog+/rss/news-blog-feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:42:27 +0000 Corie Lok 5559751 at /news/fda-approves-first-cancer-drug-based-broad-institute-science <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Jessica Colarossi</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>How genes influence the microbes in our mouths </h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By Jessica Colarossi  </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-01-28T11:30:32-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - 11:30" class="datetime">January 28, 2026</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture role="img" aria-label="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria."> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=sK9NddPv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/png" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=qMI7fkVG 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/png" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=F6PKZ7MR 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/png" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=N0Lk72XJ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/png" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/png" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/Oral%20microbiome%20news%20story_Final.png?itok=nzvp1B_8" alt="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." title="Illustration of a magnifying glass hovering over cells and bacteria." typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: Agnieszka Grosso </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div 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style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=RSS%20Feed%20News%20%2B%20Blog&body=/rss/news-blog-feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="clearfix" style="font-family:Open Sans;background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:2em;margin-bottom:2em;"> <h3>Highlights</h3> <ul> <li aria-level="1">A new study suggests that our genetics plays a role in determining the microbial community living in our mouths.</li> <li aria-level="1">Scientists discovered 11 regions of the human genome that influence the abundances of dozens of bacterial species in the mouth.</li> <li aria-level="1">The authors found a relationship between a human gene and oral bacteria that plays a role in dental health. </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths. A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. <br>  <br> The study, led by scientists at the ӳ����ý and Mass General Brigham, found a surprisingly large effect of human genetics on the abundance of microbes in the mouth. The researchers discovered genome-to-genome interactions between human DNA and the DNA of the oral microbiome. For example, they found that a human gene, <em>AMY1</em>, was strongly linked to the composition of the oral microbial community, and even to dentures use, suggesting that the relationship between this gene and the bacteria in the mouth plays a role in oral health. The paper, published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7"><em>Nature</em></a>, is an analysis of the largest collection of oral microbiome profiles to date. </p> <p>“The abundance of many bacterial species in our mouths is strongly influenced by human genetics,” said study senior author Po-Ru Loh, associate member at the ӳ����ý and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. “We know that the microbial environment in one person's mouth is going to be quite different from another person's mouth due to many factors, but genetics is a pretty strong one.”</p> <p><br> <strong>Mouth to mouth</strong></p> <p>To find human-microbiota associations, the team analyzed whole-genome sequences from saliva-derived DNA from more than 12,500 individuals. Typically, the microbial DNA in human samples is tossed aside, but the team found a new purpose for the bacterial data sequenced together with each human genome. They measured the abundances of 439 common microbial species, and found 11 regions of the human genome associated with differences in the levels of dozens of species of bacteria in the mouth. </p> <p>“We also found that the same 11 human loci influence natural selection on dozens of different bacterial genes, so it seems like there's a lot of interaction between human genetics and the oral microbiome,” said study first author Nolan Kamitaki, a graduate student at ӳ����ý and Harvard Medical School.</p> <p>Notably, the scientists found the strongest relationship between a genetic variant that breaks the <em>FUT2</em> gene—which has previously been linked to gut microbiome composition—and the levels of 58 oral bacterial species.  <br>  <br> The researchers also leveraged data from the UK Biobank to analyze how human-bacteria interactions relate to oral health. One of the strongest associations they saw involved the <em>AMY1</em> gene, which encodes a digestive enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch into sugar. The team uncovered a link between the number of copies of this gene in a person’s genome and a change in the abundances of more than 40 oral bacterial species, many of which feed on sugars and over time <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/tooth-decay/more-info/tooth-decay-process#what-inside-our-mouths">build plaque</a>.</p> <p>Based on their biobank data analysis, they found that this same variation in the <em>AMY1</em> gene correlated with an increase in dentures use, suggesting that having more copies of the gene can lead to higher rates of tooth decay by changing the ecology of the microbiota in the mouth. </p> <p>As part of this work, the team also devised clever strategies to run large-scale statistical testing in a more efficient way. With these new methods, they’re hoping other scientists will analyze even larger datasets in the future to uncover more associations between human genetics and the microbiome. <br>  <br> “I hope these initial results can inspire the field to get excited about what you can learn about human genetic effects on microbiomes in general, but particularly oral microbiomes, because there seem to be such strong genetic effects,” Loh said.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This research was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interfaces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kamitaki, et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10037-7">Human and bacterial genetic variation shape oral microbiomes and health</a>. <em>Nature</em>. Online January 28, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10037-7</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:50:31 +0000 kzusi@broadinstitute.org 5559731 at