Fndc5/irisin deficiency leads to dysbiosis of gut microbiota contributing to the depressive-like behaviors in mice

Abstract

Background: Depression is one of the most common mental diseases and the leading cause of disability worldwide. A dysfunctional gut microbiota-brain axis is one of the main pathological bases of depression. Irisin, an exercise-related myokine, reduces depression-like behaviors and may guide the relief of depressive symptoms by exercise. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Methods: Fibronectin type III domain containing 5 (Fndc5)/Irisin was knocked out in male wide-type C57BL/6N mice using CRISPR-cas9. The depression and anxiety symptoms were examined in irisin knockout and control mice with or without chronic unpredictable mild stress by sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). Fecal microbiota was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing and microbiota-related metabolites using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Differential metabolites were analyzed with the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses.

Results: The knockout mice showed anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and altered diversity and richness of gut microbiota. At the phylum level, these mice had decreased Firmicutes and increased Bacteroidota populations, while at the genus level, they exhibited a low relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Moreover, knocking out of Irisin gene in these mice significantly reduced N-desmethyl-mifepristone (RU 42633) and elevated (-)-stercobilin levels. The KEGG results showed that the microbiota-related metabolites affected by irisin mainly clustered into arginine and proline metabolism and affected the mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) signaling pathway.

Conclusion: Our findings show that Fndc5/irisin deficiency causes depression in mice by inducing dysbiosis of gut microbiota and changes in microbiota-related metabolites.

Keywords: Depression; Fndc5/irisin; Gut microbiota; Metabolites; mTOR signaling pathway.