microbiota
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceDynamics of the Physicochemical Characteristics, Microbiota, and Metabolic Functions of Soybean Meal and Corn Mixed Substrates during Two-Stage Solid-State FermentationSolid-state fermentation (SSF) plays pivotal roles not only in human food but also farm animal diets. Soybean meal (SBM) and corn account for approximately 70% of the global feed consumption. However, the nutritional value of conventional SBM and corn mixed substrates (MS) is limited by antinutritional factors, causing substantial economic loss in livestock production. Although emerging studies have reported that SSF can improve the...
Research Article | Novel Systems Biology TechniquesToward Standards in Clinical Microbiota Studies: Comparison of Three DNA Extraction Methods and Two Bioinformatic PipelinesMethod choice throughout the workflow of a microbiome study, from sample collection to DNA extraction and sequencing procedures, can greatly affect results. This study evaluated three different DNA extraction methods and two bioinformatic pipelines by including positive and negative controls and various biological specimens. By identifying an optimal combination of DNA extraction method and bioinformatic pipeline use, we hope to...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Colon Mucosal Biofilms and Murine Host Communicate via Altered mRNA and microRNA Expression during CancerBacteria and bacterial biofilms have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC), but it is still unclear what genes these microbial communities express and how they influence the host. MicroRNAs regulate host gene expression and have been explored as potential biomarkers for CRC. An emerging area of research is the ability of microRNAs to impact growth and gene expression of members of the intestinal microbiota. This study examined the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEnvironmental Chemical Diethylhexyl Phthalate Alters Intestinal Microbiota Community Structure and Metabolite Profile in MiceSeveral previous studies have pointed to environmental chemical exposure during windows of development as a contributing factor in neurodevelopmental disorders and correlated these disorders with microbiota dysbiosis; however, little is known about how the chemicals specifically alter the microbiota to interfere with development. The findings reported in this paper unambiguously establish that a pollutant linked with neurodevelopmental...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyChanges in the Composition of the Gut Microbiota and the Blood Transcriptome in Preterm Infants at Less than 29 Weeks Gestation Diagnosed with Bronchopulmonary DysplasiaBronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a serious inflammatory condition of the lung and is the most common complication associated with preterm birth. A large body of evidence now suggests that the gut microbiota can influence immunity and inflammation systemically; however, the role of the gut microbiota in BPD has not been evaluated to date. Here, we report that there are significant differences in the gut microbiota of infants born at...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Therapeutics and PreventionMetaMed: Linking Microbiota Functions with Medicine TherapeuticsUnderstanding how the human microbiome affects human health has consequences for treating disease and minimizing unwanted side effects in clinical research.
Research Article | Novel Systems Biology TechniquesQuantifying and Understanding Well-to-Well Contamination in Microbiome ResearchMicrobiome research has uncovered magnificent biological and chemical stories across nearly all areas of life science, at times creating controversy when findings reveal fantastic descriptions of microbes living and even thriving in what were once thought to be sterile environments. Scientists have refuted many of these claims because of contamination, which has led to robust requirements, including the use of controls, for validating...
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.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAltered Bacterial-Fungal Interkingdom Networks in the Guts of Ankylosing Spondylitis PatientsThe human gut is colonized by diverse fungi (mycobiota), and fungi have long been suspected in the pathogenesis of SpA. Our study unraveled a disease-specific interkingdom network alteration in AS, suggesting that fungi, or the interkingdom interactions between bacteria and fungi, may play an essential role in AS development. However, our study is limited by sample size, and in-depth mechanism studies and additional large-scale...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFiner-Scale Phylosymbiosis: Insights from Insect ViromesViruses are the most abundant biological entity on the planet and interact with microbial communities with which they associate. The virome of animals is often dominated by bacterial viruses, known as bacteriophages or phages, which can (re)structure bacterial communities potentially vital to the animal host. Beta diversity relationships of animal-associated bacterial communities in laboratory and wild populations frequently parallel...