Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySecondary Metabolism in the Gill Microbiota of Shipworms (Teredinidae) as Revealed by Comparison of Metagenomes and Nearly Complete Symbiont GenomesWe define a system in which the major symbionts that are important to host biology and to the production of secondary metabolites can be cultivated. We show that symbiotic bacteria that are critical to host nutrition and lifestyle also have an immense capacity to produce a multitude of diverse and likely novel bioactive secondary metabolites that could lead to the discovery of drugs and that these pathways are found within shipworm...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPlant Hosts Modify Belowground Microbial Community Response to Extreme DroughtClimate change causes significant alterations in precipitation and temperature regimes that are predicted to become more extreme throughout the next century. Microorganisms are important members within ecosystems, and how they respond to these changing abiotic stressors has large implications for the functioning of ecosystems, the recycling of nutrients, and the health of the aboveground plant community. Drought stress negatively...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInitial Mapping of the New York City Wastewater ViromeWastewater is a rich source of microbial life and contains bacteria, viruses, and other microbes found in human waste as well as environmental runoff sources. As part of an effort to characterize the New York City wastewater metagenome, we profiled the viral community of sewage samples across all five boroughs of NYC and found that local sampling sites have unique sets of viruses. We focused on bacteriophages, or viruses of bacteria, to...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAlterations in the Gut Microbiome in the Progression of Cirrhosis to Hepatocellular CarcinomaDevelopment of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis is associated with alterations in intestinal microbiota, including an escalation of dysbiosis and reduced bacterial richness. This study demonstrates that reduced bacterial richness and dysbiosis escalate with the progression of cirrhosis from compensated to decompensated cirrhosis and to HCC-associated cirrhosis (HCC-cirrhosis). Moreover, we report for the first time...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCitrobacter Species Increase Energy Harvest by Modulating Intestinal Microbiota in Fish: Nondominant Species Play Important FunctionsThis study shows that the ability of gut microbiota members to enhance host energy harvest from a high-fat diet is a conserved feature of host-microbe interactions in fish, as in mammals. It also underscores that gut microbiota members are able to significantly impact host biology even when at low abundance.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Milk Oligosaccharides Modulate the Risk for Preterm Birth in a Microbiome-Dependent and -Independent MannerThe causes for preterm birth (PTB) often remain elusive. We investigated whether circulating human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) might be involved in modulating urinary and vaginal microbiome promoting or preventing PTB. We identified here HMOs and key microbial taxa associated with indicators of PTB. Based on our results, we propose two models for how HMOs might modulate risk for PTB: (i) by changes in HMOs associated with sterile...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySpatial Compartmentalization of the Microbiome between the Lumen and Crypts Is Lost in the Murine Cecum following the Process of Surgery, Including Overnight Fasting and Exposure to AntibioticsThe proximal colon and cecum are two intestinal regions in which the microbiome localizes to two spatially distinct compartments, the lumen and crypts. The differences in composition and function of luminal and crypt microbiome in the cecum and the effect of physiological stress on their compartmentalization remain poorly characterized. Here, we characterized the composition and function of the lumen-, mucus-, and crypt-associated...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMaster Sculptor at Work: Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infection Uniquely Modifies Mitochondrial Proteolysis during Its Control of Human Cell DeathTo our knowledge, this is the first study of the mitochondrial proteome or N-terminome during bacterial infection. Identified cleavage sites that had not been previously reported in the mitochondrial N-terminome and that were not generated in canonical apoptosis revealed a pathogen-specific strategy to control human cell apoptosis. These data inform new mechanisms of virulence factors targeting mitochondria and apoptosis during...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIncreasing the Hindgut Carbohydrate/Protein Ratio by Cecal Infusion of Corn Starch or Casein Hydrolysate Drives Gut Microbiota-Related Bile Acid Metabolism To Stimulate Colonic Barrier FunctionHigh-fiber or high-protein diets could alter gut microbiota and health in the large intestine, but factors involved in the effects remain unclear. The present study for the first time demonstrates that the starch- and casein-induced C/N ratio in the hindgut is an important factor. Using the cannulated pig model, we found that the distinct C/N ratio induced by cecal infusion of corn starch or casein hydrolysate was linearly correlated...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMucosal Microbiota and Metabolome along the Intestinal Tract Reveal a Location-Specific RelationshipIn a healthy colon, the microbiota produces a vast amount of metabolites that are essential to maintaining homeostasis in the colon microenvironment. In fact, these metabolites produced by the microbiota have been linked to diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and colorectal cancer. In this study, we used healthy nonhuman primate models to investigate the relationship between microbiota and tissue metabolites. We found that...