bioinformatics
Special Issue Perspective | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceExploring the Evolution of Virulence Factors through Bioinformatic Data MiningThe molecular evolution of virulence factors is a central theme in our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis and host-microbe interactions. Using bioinformatics and genome data mining, recent studies have shed light on the evolution of important virulence factor families and the mechanisms by which they have adapted and diversified in function.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Novel Systems Biology TechniquesPerformance of Microbiome Sequence Inference Methods in Environments with Varying BiomassMicrobial communities have important ramifications for human health, but determining their impact requires accurate characterization. Current technology makes microbiome sequence data more accessible than ever. However, popular software methods for analyzing these data are based on algorithms developed alongside older sequencing technology and smaller data sets and thus may not be adequate for modern, high-throughput data sets....
Editor's Pick Methods and Protocols | Novel Systems Biology Techniquesq2-longitudinal: Longitudinal and Paired-Sample Analyses of Microbiome DataLongitudinal sampling provides valuable information about temporal trends and subject/population heterogeneity. We describe q2-longitudinal, a software plugin for longitudinal analysis of microbiome data sets in QIIME 2. The availability of longitudinal statistics and visualizations in the QIIME 2 framework will make the analysis of longitudinal data more accessible to microbiome researchers.
Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Current and Future State of Department of Defense (DoD) Microbiome Research: a Summary of the Inaugural DoD Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium Informational MeetingThe Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) was recently established to enhance collaboration, coordination, and communication of microbiome research among Department of Defense (DoD) organizations. The TSMC aims to serve as a forum for sharing information related to DoD microbiome research, policy, and applications, to monitor global advances relevant to human health and performance, to identify priority objectives, and to facilitate...
Methods and Protocols | Novel Systems Biology TechniquesSHI7 Is a Self-Learning Pipeline for Multipurpose Short-Read DNA Quality ControlQuality control of high-throughput DNA sequencing data is an important but sometimes laborious task requiring background knowledge of the sequencing protocol used (such as adaptor type, sequencing technology, insert size/stitchability, paired-endedness, etc.). Quality control protocols typically require applying this background knowledge to selecting and executing numerous quality control steps with the appropriate parameters, which is...
Research Article | Novel Systems Biology TechniquesNonpareil 3: Fast Estimation of Metagenomic Coverage and Sequence DiversityEstimation of the coverage provided by a metagenomic data set, i.e., what fraction of the microbial community was sampled by DNA sequencing, represents an essential first step of every culture-independent genomic study that aims to robustly assess the sequence diversity present in a sample. However, estimation of coverage remains elusive because of several technical limitations associated with high computational requirements and...
Special Issue Perspective | Novel Systems Biology TechniquesComputational Genomics of Specialized Metabolism: from Natural Product Discovery to Microbiome EcologyMicrobial and plant specialized metabolites, also known as natural products, are key mediators of microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions and constitute a rich resource for drug development. In the past decade, genome mining has emerged as a prominent strategy for natural product discovery.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLarge-Scale Bioinformatics Analysis of Bacillus Genomes Uncovers Conserved Roles of Natural Products in Bacterial PhysiologyBacilli are capable of producing a diverse array of specialized metabolites, many of which have gained attention for their roles as signals that affect bacterial physiology and development. Up to this point, however, the Bacillus genus’s metabolic capacity has been underexplored. We undertook a deep genomic analysis of 1,566 Bacillus genomes to understand the full spectrum of metabolites that this bacterial...
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...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyCorrecting for Microbial Blooms in Fecal Samples during Room-Temperature ShippingIn many microbiome studies, the necessity to store samples at room temperature (i.e., remote fieldwork) and the ability to ship samples without hazardous materials that require special handling training, such as ethanol (i.e., citizen science efforts), is paramount. However, although room-temperature storage for a few days has been shown not to obscure physiologically relevant microbiome differences between comparison groups, there are...