Evidence mapPaperPMID 41316248Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2025

Characterization of the gut virome in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Lvyue Wang, Leyi Wang, Min Liu, Qi Yuan, Lin Cheng, Huixiang Chen, Shanliang Mao, Shenghui Li, Qiulong Yan, Guorui Xing and 1 more

Abstract read
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Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lvyue Wang *Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Leyi Wang *Department of Gastroenterology, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, China.
Min Liu *Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Qi Yuan *Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Lin ChengDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Huixiang ChenPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Shanliang MaoDepartment of Pediatrics, Loudi Health Center for Women and Children, Loudi, China.
Shenghui LiPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Qiulong YanDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Guorui XingPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China. 2657518@qq.com.
Ning ZhengDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China. zhengning2016@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent metabolic disorder with complex gut microbiome involvement. While bacterial dysbiosis in NAFLD has been widely studied, the role of the gut virome remains largely unexplored.

methodsWe profiled gut viral communities from 90 NAFLD patients and 90 non-NAFLD controls using whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing. Viral taxonomic composition, host associations, and functional gene repertoires were analyzed. Serum metabolomic data were integrated to assess virus–metabolite interactions, and random forest models were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of viral signatures.

resultsOverall viral diversity showed no significant differences between NAFLD and controls, but subtle compositional shifts were detected at the vOTU level, with 105 viruses enriched in NAFLD and 185 in non-NAFLD individuals. NAFLD-enriched phages primarily targeted Bacteroides, whereas non-NAFLD-enriched phages were associated with beneficial genera such as Faecalibacterium, Oscillibacter, and Prevotella. Functional annotation revealed a reorganization of viral gene repertoires: genes involved in DNA recombination and horizontal transfer (e.g. int, recD) were depleted, while those related to host interaction and stress response (e.g. xerD, dnaK, hipB) were enriched in NAFLD, indicating enhanced viral persistence and host communication. Serum metabolomic profiling identified 8 differential metabolites, and correlation analysis linked specific vOTUs with altered metabolic pathways. A random forest model based on viral features achieved an AUC of 0.758, outperforming the bacterial model, while integration of viral and bacterial features further improved prediction (AUC = 0.837).

conclusionThe gut virome in NAFLD undergoes compositional and functional remodeling characterized by a shift toward host-adaptive, metabolically interactive viral communities. These viral alterations are closely associated with host metabolic changes and demonstrate strong diagnostic potential. Our findings highlight the virome as an overlooked yet critical component of the gut ecosystem in NAFLD pathogenesis and as a promising source of noninvasive biomarkers for disease prediction and monitoring.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseViromeCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMetabolomicsMiddle AgedGut viromeMetagenomicsNonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseSerum metabolomics

Identifiers

PMID41316248
PMCPMC12763994

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.