Your roommate’s genes may be shaping your gut bacteria

Scientists studying thousands of rats discovered that gut bacteria are shaped by both personal genetics and the genetics of social partners. Some genes promote certain microbes that can spread between individuals living together. When researchers accounted for this social sharing, genetic influence on the microbiome turned out to be much stronger than previously thought. The study suggests genes can affect others indirectly, without DNA ever being exchanged.

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The genes of your roommate may be shaping the bacteria in your gut, and your genes may be influencing theirs, according to a rat study published on December 18 in Nature Communications.

By examining more than four thousand rats, researchers found that the makeup of the gut microbiome is affected not only by an individual's own genetic makeup but also by the genes of the animals they share their living space with.

The findings point to a new way genetics and social interactions are connected. Certain commensal gut microbes can move between individuals through close contact. While genes themselves stay put, microbes do not. The study showed that some genes promote the growth of specific gut bacteria, and those bacteria can spread socially.

"This is not magic, but rather the result of genetic influences spilling over to others through social contact. Genes shape the gut microbiome and we found that it is not just our own genes that matter," says Dr. Amelie Baud, a researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona and senior author of the study.

The gut microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, where they play important roles in digestion and overall health. Diet and medications are known to strongly influence these microbial communities, but understanding how genetics contributes has been far more challenging.