microbiome
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyMetaproteomics: Much More than Measuring Gene Expression in Microbial CommunitiesMetaproteomics is the large-scale identification and quantification of proteins from microbial communities and thus provides direct insight into the phenotypes of microorganisms on the molecular level. Initially, metaproteomics was mainly used to assess the “expressed” metabolism and physiology of microbial community members.
Special Issue Perspective | Applied and Environmental ScienceMoving towards a Robust Definition for a “Healthy” Indoor MicrobiomeBuildings of the future should be designed to support human health, both by promoting the presence of beneficial microbes and by reducing exposure to harmful ones. However, we still do not have a robust definition of what constitutes a “healthy” indoor microbiome.
Special Issue Perspective | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceAdvancing Genome-Resolved Metagenomics beyond the ShotgunExploration of environmental microbiomes has shed light on the ecological and evolutionary principles at play in natural ecosystems and has been further accelerated through the reconstruction of population genomes to provide genome-centric context. Yet technical challenges with traditional shotgun metagenomics remain for computationally intense short-read assembly, strain heterogeneity within communities, and depth of coverage required...
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyDefining Microbiome Health through a Host LensWe are walking ecosystems, inoculated at birth with a unique set of microbes that are integral to the functioning of our bodies. The physiology of our commensal microbiota is intertwined with our metabolism, immune function, and mental state.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Simple Microbiome in the European Common Cuttlefish, Sepia officinalisMicrobes can play critical roles in the physiology of their animal hosts, as evidenced in cephalopods by the role of Vibrio (Aliivibrio) fischeri in the light organ of the bobtail squid and the role of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria in the reproductive system and egg defense in a variety of cephalopods. We sampled the cuttlefish microbiome throughout the digestive tract, gills, and skin and...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceSelection, Succession, and Stabilization of Soil Microbial ConsortiaThe soil microbiome carries out important ecosystem functions, but interactions between soil microbial communities have been difficult to study due to the high microbial diversity and complexity of the soil habitat. In this study, we successfully obtained stable consortia with reduced complexity that contained species found in the original source soil. These consortia and the methods used to obtain them can be a valuable resource for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAge- and Sex-Dependent Patterns of Gut Microbial Diversity in Human AdultsMicroorganisms in the human gut play a role in health and disease, and in adults higher gut biodiversity has been linked to better health. Since gut microorganisms may be pivotal in the development of microbial therapies, understanding the factors that shape gut biodiversity is of utmost interest. We performed large-scale analyses of the relationship of age and sex to gut bacterial diversity in adult cohorts from four geographic regions...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Metagenomic Meta-analysis Reveals Functional Signatures of Health and Disease in the Human Gut MicrobiomeThe composition of the gut microbiome associates with a wide range of human diseases, but the mechanisms underpinning these associations are not well understood. To shift toward a mechanistic understanding, we integrated distinct metagenomic data sets to identify functions encoded in the gut microbiome that associate with multiple diseases, which may be important to human health. Additionally, we identified functions that associate with...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySocial-Stress-Responsive Microbiota Induces Stimulation of Self-Reactive Effector T Helper CellsHow do stressful life events increase the risk for autoimmune disorders? Here we show that chronic social stress in mice promotes the expression of virulent genes in the gut microbiota and alters the microbial translocation into the mesenteric lymph nodes. Our results also suggest that the consequent immune response to the stress-affected microbiota may endanger the tolerance for self. The presence of specific translocated bacteria and...
Special Issue Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyMissing a Phage: Unraveling Tripartite Symbioses within the Human GutTripartite symbioses between bacteriophages, the epithelial cell layers of the human gut, and bacterial symbionts may play an important and unrecognized role in the function of the gut microbiome. Traditionally, phages residing within the gut were considered to interact only with their bacterial hosts and thereby to facilitate indirect interactions with the epithelial cell layers, and yet a growing body of literature is demonstrating...