Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAmerican Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome ResearchWe show that a citizen science, self-selected cohort shipping samples through the mail at room temperature recaptures many known microbiome results from clinically collected cohorts and reveals new ones. Of particular interest is integrating n = 1 study data with the population data, showing that the extent of microbiome change after events such as surgery can exceed differences between distinct environmental biomes, and the...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyCrowdsourcing Our National GutThe microbes of the human intestinal tract play a profound role in our health. The complex interactions between our gut microbial communities and the external environment, and the resulting functional consequences, can be difficult to disentangle.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInterleukin 1α-Deficient Mice Have an Altered Gut Microbiota Leading to Protection from Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced ColitisHere, we show a connection between IL-1α expression, microbiota composition, and clinical outcomes of DSS-induced colitis. Specifically, we show that the mild colitis symptoms seen in IL-1α-deficient mice following administration of DSS are correlated with the unique gut microbiota compositions of the mice. However, when these mice are exposed to WT microbiota by cohousing, their gut microbiota composition returns to resemble that of WT...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Prospective Metagenomic and Metabolomic Analysis of the Impact of Exercise and/or Whey Protein Supplementation on the Gut Microbiome of Sedentary AdultsThe gut microbiota of humans is a critical component of functional development and subsequent health. It is important to understand the lifestyle and dietary factors that affect the gut microbiome and what impact these factors may have. Animal studies suggest that exercise can directly affect the gut microbiota, and elite athletes demonstrate unique beneficial and diverse gut microbiome characteristics. These characteristics are...
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyHologenomics: Systems-Level Host BiologyThe hologenome concept of evolution is a hypothesis explaining host evolution in the context of the host microbiomes. As a hypothesis, it needs to be evaluated, especially with respect to the extent of fidelity of transgenerational coassociation of host and microbial lineages and the relative fitness consequences of repeated associations within natural holobiont populations.
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyVive la Persistence: Engineering Human Microbiomes in the 21st CenturyI imagine a future in which children grow up with healthy microbial communities. Engineering human microbiomes might actually be achievable in the near future, as we enter an era of hunting for human-adapted bacterial strains and phages. Furthermore, breath metabolites could allow us to track whether a probiotic colonizes persistently or a phage has knocked down a microbe of interest.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenome Reduction in Psychromonas Species within the Gut of an Amphipod from the Ocean’s Deepest PointAs a unique but poorly investigated habitat within marine ecosystems, hadal trenches have received interest in recent years. This study explores the gut microbial composition and function in hadal amphipods, which are among the dominant carrion feeders in hadal habitats. Further analyses of a dominant strain revealed genomic features that may contribute to its adaptation to the amphipod gut environment. Our findings provide new insights...
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Life Aquatic at the MicroscaleThere are more than one million microbial cells in every drop of seawater, and their collective metabolisms not only recycle nutrients that can then be used by larger organisms but also catalyze key chemical transformations that maintain Earth’s habitability. Understanding how these microbes interact with each other and with multicellular hosts is critical to reliably quantify any functional aspect of their metabolisms and to predicting...
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyExploring Linkages between Taxonomic and Functional Profiles of the Human MicrobiomeMicrobiome studies typically focus on characterizing the taxonomic and functional profiles of the microbes within a community. Functional profiling is generally thought to be superior to taxonomic profiling for investigating human-microbe interactions, but there are several limitations and challenges to existing approaches.
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyCan Diet Influence Our Health by Altering Intestinal Microbiota-Derived Fecal Metabolites?The human gastrointestinal tract harbors a diverse, highly mutualistic microbial flora which could produce a myriad of specialized metabolites. These specialized metabolites are the chemical cellphones that gut microflora use to communicate with their human host and could potentially be used to cure diseases.