Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTotal Lipopolysaccharide from the Human Gut Microbiome Silences Toll-Like Receptor SignalingWhile the ability for humans to host a complex microbial ecosystem is an essential property of life, the mechanisms allowing for immune tolerance of such a large microbial load are not completely understood and are currently the focus of intense research. This study shows that an important proinflammatory pathway that is commonly triggered by pathogenic bacteria upon interaction with the host is, in fact, actively repressed by the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenomic, Transcriptomic, and Phenotypic Analyses of Neisseria meningitidis Isolates from Disease Patients and Their Household ContactsNeisseria meningitidis causes meningococcal disease but is frequently carried in the throats of healthy individuals; the factors that determine whether invasive disease develops are not completely understood. We carried out detailed studies of isolates, collected from patients and their household contacts, to identify differences between commensal throat isolates and those that caused invasive disease. Though isolates were...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySubtle Microbiome Manipulation Using Probiotics Reduces Antibiotic-Associated Mortality in FishProphylactic antibiotics are widespread in the aquaculture industry and are used where vaccination is impossible or overly expensive. If antibiotics impact fish as they do mice and humans, prophylactic administrations in aquaculture and ornamental fish farms may increase downstream disease susceptibility in target hosts, despite short-term pathogen control benefits. Recent research has suggested that their use exacerbates bacterial...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMulti-omics Comparative Analysis Reveals Multiple Layers of Host Signaling Pathway Regulation by the Gut MicrobiotaMultiple host pathways were affected by its adaptation to the microbiota. We have found significant transcriptome-proteome discordance caused by the microbiota. This discovery leads to the definite conclusion that transcript-level analysis is not sufficient to predict protein levels and their influence on the function of many specific cellular pathways, so only analysis of combinations of the quantitative data determined at different...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyExtensive Core Microbiome in Drone-Captured Whale Blow Supports a Framework for Health MonitoringThe conservation and management of large whales rely in part upon health monitoring of individuals and populations, and methods generally necessitate invasive sampling. Here, we used a small, unmanned hexacopter drone to noninvasively fly above humpback whales from two populations, capture their exhaled breath (blow), and examine the associated microbiome. In the first extensive examination of the large-whale blow microbiome, we present...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPerinatal Bisphenol A Exposure Induces Chronic Inflammation in Rabbit Offspring via Modulation of Gut Bacteria and Their MetabolitesEmerging evidence suggests that environmental toxicants may influence inflammation-promoted chronic disease susceptibility during early life. BPA, an environmental endocrine disruptor, can transfer across the placenta and accumulate in fetal gut and liver. However, underlying mechanisms for BPA-induced colonic and liver inflammation are not fully elucidated. In this report, we show how perinatal BPA exposure in rabbits alters gut...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFunctional Changes in the Gut Microbiome Contribute to Transforming Growth Factor β-Deficient Colon CancerMost research on the gut microbiome in colon cancer focuses on taxonomic changes at the genus level using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Here, we develop a new methodology to integrate DNA and RNA data sets to examine functional shifts at the species level that are important to tumor development. We uncover several metabolic pathways in the microbiome that, when perturbed by host genetics and H. hepaticus inoculation, contribute to...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThiamine Acquisition Strategies Impact Metabolism and Competition in the Gut Microbe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicronVariation in the ability of gut microbes to transport, synthesize, and compete for vitamin B1 (thiamine) is expected to impact the structure and stability of the microbiota, and ultimately this variation may have both direct and indirect effects on human health. Our study identifies the diverse strategies employed by gut Bacteroidetes to acquire thiamine. We demonstrate how the presence or absence of thiamine...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Induction of Oxalate Metabolism In Vivo Is More Effective with Functional Microbial Communities than with Functional Microbial SpeciesOxalate is a central component in 80% of kidney stones. While mammals do not possess the enzymes to degrade oxalate, many gastrointestinal bacteria are efficient oxalate degraders. We examined the role of cohesive microbial networks for oxalate metabolism, using Sprague-Dawley rats as a model host. While the transplantation of oxalate-degrading bacteria alone to the Sprague-Dawley hosts did increase oxalate metabolism, fecal transplants...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDevelopment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Is Linked to a Longitudinal Restructuring of the Gut Metagenome in MiceIBD patients harbor distinct microbial communities with functional capabilities different from those seen with healthy people. But is this cause or effect? Answering this question requires data on changes in gut microbial communities leading to disease onset. By performing weekly metagenomic sequencing and mixed-effects modeling on an established mouse model of IBD, we identified several functional pathways encoded by the gut microbiome...