Gut Microbiota Is Associated with Onset and Severity of Type 1 Diabetes in Nonobese Diabetic Mice Treated with Anti-PD-1

Our bodies are home to individual-specific microbial ecosystems that have recently been found to be modified by cancer immunotherapies. The interaction between the gut microbiome and islet autoimmunity leading to type I diabetes (T1D) is well described and highlights the microbiome contribution during the onset and T1D development in animals and humans. As cancer immunotherapies induce gut microbiome perturbations and immune-mediated adverse events in susceptible patients, we hypothesized that NOD mice can be used as a predictive tool to investigate the effects of anti-PD-1 treatment on the onset and severity of T1D, and how microbiota influences immunopathology. In this longitudinal study, we showed that anti-PD-1 accelerated T1D onset, increased glutamic acid decarboxylase-reactive T cell frequency in spleen, and precipitated destruction of β cells, triggering high glucose levels and pancreatic islet reduction. Anti-PD-1 treatment also resulted in temporal microbiota changes and lower diversity characteristic of T1D. Finally, we identified known insulin-resistance regulating bacteria that were negatively correlated with glucose levels, indicating that anti-PD-1 treatment impacts the early gut microbiota composition. Moreover, an increase of mucin-degrading Akkermansia muciniphila points to alterations of barrier function and immune system activation. These results highlight the ability of microbiota to readily respond to therapy-triggered pathophysiological changes as rescuers (Bacteroides acidifaciens and Parabacteroides goldsteinii) or potential exacerbators (A. muciniphila). Microbiome-modulating interventions may thus be promising mitigation strategies for immunotherapies with high risk of immune-mediated adverse events.