The study on the identification of cross-boundary microbiome enterotypes between high-altitude and coastal populations and their predictive value

TL;DR

This study found that gut microbiome differences between high-altitude and coastal populations in China may be linked to lower colorectal adenoma risk in high-altitude regions.

Contribution

The study identifies cross-boundary microbiome enterotypes and their predictive value for colorectal adenoma in geographically distinct populations.

Findings

High-altitude populations show distinct bacterial, fungal, and archaeal enterotypes compared to coastal populations.

Combining microbial features improves classification accuracy between geographic and disease groups (AUC = 0.84–0.85).

Specific high-altitude enterotypes correlate with metabolic pathways and may be associated with lower CRA prevalence.

Abstract

To investigate the differences in gut microbiome composition among multi-center populations from coastal and high-altitude regions of China and their association with colorectal adenoma (CRA).

Metagenomic sequencing was performed on stool samples collected from 295 participants. Diversity, principal component, and linear discriminant analyses were conducted to assess microbial composition and functional differences related to geography and disease status.

In high-altitude populations, bacterial enterotypes were predominantly Prevotella, fungal enterotypes Saccharomyces, and archaeal enterotypes Methanobrevibacter, differing from those in coastal populations. Combining bacterial, fungal, and archaeal features improved classification accuracy between high-altitude and coastal populations (AUC = 0.84) and between high-altitude and coastal adenoma patients (AUC = 0.85). Specific enterotypes were observed to correlate significantly with metabolic pathways in high-altitude populations.

Significant differences in gut microbiome enterotypes exist across geographic populations, with specific enterotypes in high-altitude populations potentially associated with a lower prevalence of CRA. These findings provide new insights into the gut microbiome–geography relationship and support microbiome-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-025-04578-0.

What is already known on this topic: The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the progression of adenomas to colorectal cancer, but how different geographic environments impact the gut microbiome remains unclear.

What this study adds: This study reveals significant differences in gut microbiome composition between high-altitude and coastal populations, highlighting potential protective effects in high-altitude areas.

How this study might affect research, practice or policy: Emphasizes the importance of geographic factors in developing personalized prevention and treatment strategies for CRA, underscoring the need for further longitudinal cohort studies to validate these findings and explore underlying mechanisms.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-025-04578-0.

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