Host-Microbe Biology
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyA Microbial Perspective on the Grand Challenges in Comparative Animal PhysiologyInteractions with microbial communities can have profound influences on animal physiology, thereby impacting animal performance and fitness. Therefore, it is important to understand the diversity and nature of host-microbe interactions in various animal groups (invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals).
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMarket Integration Predicts Human Gut Microbiome Attributes across a Gradient of Economic DevelopmentPrevious research has reported differences in the gut microbiome between populations residing in wealthy versus poorer countries, leading to the assertion that lifestyle changes associated with economic development promote changes in the gut microbiome that promote the proliferation of microbiome-associated diseases. However, a direct relationship between economic development and the gut microbiome has not previously been shown. We...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyZika Virus Alters DNA Methylation of Neural Genes in an Organoid Model of the Developing Human BrainScientific research on human neural stem cells and cerebral organoids has confirmed the congenital neurotropic and neurodestructive nature of the Zika virus. However, the extent to which prenatal ZIKV infection is associated with more subtle brain alterations, such as epigenetic changes, remains ill defined. Here, we address the question of whether ZIKV infection induces DNA methylation changes with the potential to cause brain...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGut Microbiota Offers Universal Biomarkers across Ethnicity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis and Infliximab Response PredictionIn the present report, we show that the human fecal microbiota contains promising and universal biomarkers for the noninvasive evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease severity and IFX treatment efficacy, emphasizing the potential ability to mine the gut microbiota as a modality to stratify IBD patients and apply personalized therapy for optimal outcomes.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAbiotic Stresses Shift Belowground Populus-Associated Bacteria Toward a Core Stress MicrobiomeThe identification of a common “stress microbiome” indicates tightly controlled relationships between the plant host and bacterial associates and a conserved structure in bacterial communities associated with poplar trees under different growth conditions. The ability of the microbiome to buffer the plant from extreme environmental conditions coupled with the conserved stress microbiome observed in this study suggests an opportunity for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHost-Virus Protein Interaction Network Reveals the Involvement of Multiple Host Processes in the Life Cycle of Hepatitis E VirusHepatitis E virus (HEV) is a pathogen that is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Owing to the lack of an efficient laboratory model, the life cycle of the virus is poorly understood. During the course of infection, interactions between the viral and host proteins play essential roles, a clear understanding of which is essential to decode the life cycle of the virus. In this study, we identified the direct host interaction partners of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPrevalence and Source of Fecal and Oral Bacteria on Infant, Child, and Adult HandsBacteria live all around us, and we are constantly exposed to them during our everyday lives. Modern standards of hygiene aim to limit exposure to fecal bacteria, and yet bacteria rapidly colonize the gut in early life and following antibacterial treatment. Exposures to fecal and oral microbes provide risk of disease, but are also necessary since commensal microbes play important roles in health. This work establishes that bacteria of...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMachine Learning Leveraging Genomes from Metagenomes Identifies Influential Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Infant Gut MicrobiomeThe process of reconstructing genomes from environmental sequence data (genome-resolved metagenomics) allows unique insight into microbial systems. We apply this technique to investigate how the antibiotic resistance genes of bacteria affect their ability to flourish in the gut under various conditions. Our analysis reveals that strain-level selection in formula-fed infants drives enrichment of beta-lactamase genes in the gut resistome...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyColonic Butyrate-Producing Communities in Humans: an Overview Using Omics DataStudies focusing on taxonomic compositions of the gut microbiota are plentiful, whereas its functional capabilities are still poorly understood. Specific key functions deserve detailed investigations, as they regulate microbiota-host interactions and promote host health and disease. The production of butyrate is among the top targets since depletion of this microbe-derived metabolite is linked to several emerging noncommunicable...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMaking It Last: Storage Time and Temperature Have Differential Impacts on Metabolite Profiles of Airway Samples from Cystic Fibrosis PatientsMetabolomics has great potential for uncovering biomarkers of the disease state in CF and many other contexts. However, sample storage timing and temperature may alter the abundance of clinically relevant metabolites. To assess whether existing samples are stable and to direct future study design, we conducted untargeted GC-MS metabolomic analysis of CF sputum samples after one or two freeze-thaw cycles and storage at 4°C and −20°C for...