Extensive genomic diversity in Desulfovibrio reveals species-specific functional traits associated with disease
Abstract
Desulfovibrio spp. are associated with inflammatory diseases and human health, yet limited representative genomes and isolates hinder our understanding of their role in disease. Here, we assembled a comprehensive database of 2658 Desulfovibrio genomes across 90 diseases and 32 countries, including 24 human isolates. Genomic analyses showed extensive species diversity and revealed disease-associated functional traits, including flagellin and adaptation-associated genes (i.e., ureases). Flagellin-mediated Toll-like receptor 5 activation was species-specific and D. desulfuricans flagellin downregulated TGF-beta signalling in murine small intestinal organoids, suggesting impaired immune tolerance. Additionally, we investigated genomic capacity for hydrogen sulfide (H ₂ S) production, a main Desulfovibrio metabolite. While health- and disease-associated Desulfovibrio spp. mainly encoded dissimilatory sulfate reduction, tetrathionate metabolism-encoding bacteria were exclusively detected in inflammatory bowel diseases, including Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii . Overall, our study provides a comprehensive genomic Desulfovibrio resource and identifies new links associating strain variation, functional traits and H ₂ S-production with inflammatory diseases.
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BibTeX
@article{zheng2026extensive,
title = {{Extensive genomic diversity in Desulfovibrio reveals species-specific functional traits associated with disease}},
author = {Tingting Zheng and Isabel Keidel and Hélène Omer and Akshat Joshipura and Aurélie Cenier and Ezgi Atay and Yi Han Tan and Daniela Wetzel and Ranko Gacesa and Shijie Zhao and Claudia Mengoni and Shen Jin and Khoa Co and Carsten Peters and Nicola Segata and Ruth E. Ley and Monica Yabal and Rinse K. Weersma and Dirk Haller and Melanie Schirmer},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78314-1},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78314-1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Extensive genomic diversity in Desulfovibrio reveals species-specific functional traits associated with disease
AU - Tingting Zheng
AU - Isabel Keidel
AU - Hélène Omer
AU - Akshat Joshipura
AU - Aurélie Cenier
AU - Ezgi Atay
AU - Yi Han Tan
AU - Daniela Wetzel
AU - Ranko Gacesa
AU - Shijie Zhao
AU - Claudia Mengoni
AU - Shen Jin
AU - Khoa Co
AU - Carsten Peters
AU - Nicola Segata
AU - Ruth E. Ley
AU - Monica Yabal
AU - Rinse K. Weersma
AU - Dirk Haller
AU - Melanie Schirmer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78314-1
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78314-1
AB - Desulfovibrio spp. are associated with inflammatory diseases and human health, yet limited representative genomes and isolates hinder our understanding of their role in disease. Here, we assembled a comprehensive database of 2658 Desulfovibrio genomes across 90 diseases and 32 countries, including 24 human isolates. Genomic analyses showed extensive species diversity and revealed disease-associated functional traits, including flagellin and adaptation-associated genes (i.e., ureases). Flagellin-mediated Toll-like receptor 5 activation was species-specific and D. desulfuricans flagellin downregulated TGF-beta signalling in murine small intestinal organoids, suggesting impaired immune tolerance. Additionally, we investigated genomic capacity for hydrogen sulfide (H ₂ S) production, a main Desulfovibrio metabolite. While health- and disease-associated Desulfovibrio spp. mainly encoded dissimilatory sulfate reduction, tetrathionate metabolism-encoding bacteria were exclusively detected in inflammatory bowel diseases, including Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii . Overall, our study provides a comprehensive genomic Desulfovibrio resource and identifies new links associating strain variation, functional traits and H ₂ S-production with inflammatory diseases.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -