A qPCR-based approach targeting the microbial gene marker
                    <i>nanA</i>
                    of mucin-degrading
                    <i>Akkermansia</i>
                    in Parkinson's disease

doi:10.1177/1877718x261462342

DOI: 10.1177/1877718x261462342 ISSN: 1877-7171

A qPCR-based approach targeting the microbial gene marker nanA of mucin-degrading Akkermansia in Parkinson's disease

Yasuaki Mizutani, Tadashi Fujii, Yasuhiro Maeda, Kohei Funasaka, Eizaburo Ohno, Yoshiki Hirooka, Hirohisa Watanabe, Takumi Tochio

Show PDF Cite

Background

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder increasingly linked to gut microbiota alterations. However, despite advances in fecal microbiota profiling as a non-invasive approach to disease risk assessment, its clinical utility remains limited by a lack of functionally relevant microbial biomarkers.

Objective

This cross-sectional study aimed to identify a microbial gene marker reflecting metabolic potential associated with both the presence and severity of PD.

Methods

Fecal samples from patients with PD ( n = 59) and healthy controls ( n = 65) were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize taxonomic profiles. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeted the consensus sequence of the mucin-degrading nanA gene ( nan _Akk ), a highly conserved within Akkermansia nan gene clusters. Differences in taxonomic composition and nan _Akk abundance were examined, and correlations with clinical severity scores evaluated in the PD group.

Results

Patients with PD showed reduced abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing taxa ( Faecalibacterium , Blautia , and Anaerostipes ) and increased levels of Akkermansia . Akkermansia abundance correlated positively with motor severity, including Hoehn–Yahr stage. Moreover, nan _Akk levels also correlated positively with Hoehn–Yahr stage and were significantly elevated in PD patients compared with controls. Levels in the stage 4–5 group exceeded those in the stage 1–3 group ( P = 0.0202), indicating a stage-related increase in mucin-degrading nan _Akk abundance.

Conclusions

We have identified nan _Akk as a microbial gene marker associated with both the presence and severity of PD. Our qPCR-based quantification shows potential as a non-invasive biomarker for disease stratification.