Paired sequencing of IgA-bound bacteria reveals widespread associations between adaptive immunity and gut microbiome gene expression.
- 1University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, Division of Evolution, Genomics, and Infection
Abstract
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most abundant antibody within the mammalian gut, where it binds to both pathogenic and commensal microbes. Despite its prevalence, the impact of IgA upon the biology and behavior of individual microbes remains poorly understood. Here we present Paired Immunoglobulin Sequencing (PIg-seq), a high-throughput method to identify IgA-associated changes in bacterial gene expression. Using PIg-seq we uncover widespread, and in many cases previously unrecognized, transcriptional responses associated with IgA-binding within the mouse gut. While many of these associations are conserved across diverse bacterial lineages, others vary dramatically even between closely related strains, revealing striking strain-level heterogeneity. Most notably, IgA binding is associated with altered expression of bacterial conjugation genes, and multiple prophages, suggesting an exciting link between adaptive immunity and horizontal gene transfer. Together, our findings establish IgA as a key regulator of microbial behavior, with potential consequences for both the ecology and the evolution of the gut microbiome.
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BibTeX
@misc{sauers2026paired,
title = {{Paired sequencing of IgA-bound bacteria reveals widespread associations between adaptive immunity and gut microbiome gene expression.}},
author = {L. A. Sauers and K. A. L. Y. Lim and X. Zhang and C. Morrisroe and M. Smiga and M. R. Hepworth and K. Z. Coyte},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.05.756684},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756684v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Paired sequencing of IgA-bound bacteria reveals widespread associations between adaptive immunity and gut microbiome gene expression.
AU - L. A. Sauers
AU - K. A. L. Y. Lim
AU - X. Zhang
AU - C. Morrisroe
AU - M. Smiga
AU - M. R. Hepworth
AU - K. Z. Coyte
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.05.756684
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756684v1
AB - Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most abundant antibody within the mammalian gut, where it binds to both pathogenic and commensal microbes. Despite its prevalence, the impact of IgA upon the biology and behavior of individual microbes remains poorly understood. Here we present Paired Immunoglobulin Sequencing (PIg-seq), a high-throughput method to identify IgA-associated changes in bacterial gene expression. Using PIg-seq we uncover widespread, and in many cases previously unrecognized, transcriptional responses associated with IgA-binding within the mouse gut. While many of these associations are conserved across diverse bacterial lineages, others vary dramatically even between closely related strains, revealing striking strain-level heterogeneity. Most notably, IgA binding is associated with altered expression of bacterial conjugation genes, and multiple prophages, suggesting an exciting link between adaptive immunity and horizontal gene transfer. Together, our findings establish IgA as a key regulator of microbial behavior, with potential consequences for both the ecology and the evolution of the gut microbiome.
ER -