Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEcology and Host Identity Outweigh Evolutionary History in Shaping the Bat MicrobiomeThis study is the first to provide a comprehensive survey of bacterial symbionts from multiple anatomical sites across a broad taxonomic range of Afrotropical bats, demonstrating significant associations between the bat microbiome and anatomical site, geographic locality, and host identity—but not evolutionary history. This study provides a framework for future systems biology approaches to examine host-symbiont relationships across...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAssociation of Flavonifractor plautii, a Flavonoid-Degrading Bacterium, with the Gut Microbiome of Colorectal Cancer Patients in IndiaThis study provides novel insights on the CRC-associated microbiome of a unique cohort in India, reveals the potential role of a new bacterium in CRC, and identifies cohort-specific biomarkers, which can potentially be used in noninvasive diagnosis of CRC. The study gains additional significance, as India is among the countries with a very low incidence of CRC, and the diet and lifestyle in India have been associated with a distinct gut...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyQuantitative Proteome Analysis of Atg5-Deficient Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts Reveals the Range of the Autophagy-Modulated Basal Cellular ProteomeAutophagy performs housekeeping functions for cells and maintains a functional mode by degrading damaged proteins and organelles and providing energy under starvation conditions. The process is tightly regulated by the evolutionarily conserved Atg genes, of which Atg5 is one such crucial mediator. Here, we have done a comprehensive quantitative proteome analysis of mouse embryonic fibroblasts that lack a functional...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyMolecular Reconstruction of the Diet in Human Stool SamplesUnderstanding dietary effects on the gut microbial composition is one of the key questions in human microbiome research. It is highly important to have reliable dietary data on the stool samples to unambiguously link the microbiome composition to food intake. Often, however, self-reported diet surveys have low accuracy and can be misleading. Thereby, additional molecular biology-based methods could help to revise the diet composition....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyOral Microbiome Alterations Associated with Early Childhood Caries Highlight the Importance of Carbohydrate Metabolic ActivitiesDental caries is a highly prevalent oral disease that can lead to severe dental damage and may greatly compromise the quality of life of the affected individuals. Previous studies, including those based on 16S rRNA gene, have revealed that the oral microbiota plays a prominent role in development of the disease. But the approach of those studies was limited in analyzing several key microbiome traits, including species- or strain-level...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyChanges in the Composition of the Gut Microbiota and the Blood Transcriptome in Preterm Infants at Less than 29 Weeks Gestation Diagnosed with Bronchopulmonary DysplasiaBronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a serious inflammatory condition of the lung and is the most common complication associated with preterm birth. A large body of evidence now suggests that the gut microbiota can influence immunity and inflammation systemically; however, the role of the gut microbiota in BPD has not been evaluated to date. Here, we report that there are significant differences in the gut microbiota of infants born at...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDistinct Gut Microbiota Induced by Different Fat-to-Sugar-Ratio High-Energy Diets Share Similar Pro-obesity Genetic and Metabolite Profiles in Prediabetic MiceVarious types of diet can lead to type 2 diabetes. The gut microbiota in type 2 diabetic patients are also different. So, two questions arise: whether there are any commonalities between gut microbiota induced by different pro-obese diets and whether these commonalities lead to disease. Here we found that high-energy diets with two different fat-to-sugar ratios can both cause obesity and prediabetes but enrich different gut microbiota....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMolecular and Microbial Microenvironments in Chronically Diseased Lungs Associated with Cystic FibrosisMicrobial infections are now recognized to be polymicrobial and personalized in nature. Comprehensive analysis and understanding of the factors underlying the polymicrobial and personalized nature of infections remain limited, especially in the context of the host. By visualizing microbiomes and metabolomes of diseased human lungs, we reveal how different the chemical environments are between hosts that are dominated by the same...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNipah Virus-Like Particle Egress Is Modulated by Cytoskeletal and Vesicular Trafficking Pathways: a Validated Particle Proteomics AnalysisNipah virus is a zoonotic biosafety level 4 agent with high mortality rates in humans. The genus to which Nipah virus belongs, Henipavirus, includes five officially recognized pathogens; however, over 20 species have been identified in multiple continents within the last several years. As there are still no vaccines or treatments for NiV infection, elucidating its...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAltered Fecal Small RNA Profiles in Colorectal Cancer Reflect Gut Microbiome Composition in Stool SamplesThe characteristics of microbial small RNA transcription are largely unknown, while it is of primary importance for a better identification of molecules with functional activities in the gut niche under both healthy and disease conditions. By performing combined analyses of metagenomic and small RNA sequencing (sRNA-Seq) data, we characterized both the human and microbial small RNA contents of stool samples from healthy individuals and...