Author Archives: Axel Künstner

June 23, 2020

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Human gut microbiome

US nativity and dietary acculturation impact the gut microbiome in a diverse US population – Peters et al. – The ISME Journal


GlycA, a novel marker for low grade inflammation, reflects gut microbiome diversity and is more accurate than high sensitive CRP in reflecting metabolomic profile – Mokkala et al. – Metabolomics

Animal experiments (mouse/rat experiments, chickens/pigs on different diets)

Black tea benefits short‐chain fatty acid producers but inhibits genus Lactobacillus in the gut of healthy Sprague–Dawley rats – Gao et al. – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Animal microbiome (for animals in the wild)

A role for gut microbiota in host niche differentiation – Greene et al. – The ISME Journal


Host-microbiota interaction helps to explain the bottom-up effects of climate change on a small rodent species – Li – The ISME Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Recovery of fen peatland microbiomes and predicted functional profiles after rewetting – Emsens – The IMSE Journal
Water and extremophile microbiome (sea, rivers, lakes, glaciers, permafrost, high-salt)

Genomic and transcriptomic insights into methanogenesis potential of novel methanogens from mangrove sediments – Zhang et. al – Microbiome

Antibiotic resistance

Chlorine disinfection promotes the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes across bacterial genera by natural transformation – Jin et al. – The ISME Journal

Phages and viruses

Narnaviruses: novel players in fungal–bacterial symbioses – Espino-Vazquez – The ISME Journal

June 08, 2020

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Today, we present a broad spectrum of new studies covering among others the mycobiome of human milk, gut microbes and their association with brain development and cognitive function, and a catalogue of previously unseen microbial genomes. Of particular interest is a study that integrates different sources of data to model a personalized gut microbiome. Last but not least we selected a pre-print on the design and characterization of multiepitopes vaccine for SARS-CoV.

General microbiome

Cultivation-independent and cultivation-dependent metagenomes reveal genetic and enzymatic potential of microbial community involved in the degradation of a complex microbial polymer – Costa et al. – Microbiome

REVIEW: Conceptualizing the vertebrate sterolbiome – Ridlon – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Human milk mycobiome

Human milk fungi: environmental determinants and inter-kingdom associations with milk bacteria in the CHILD Cohort Study – Moossavi et al. – BMC Microbiology

Human skin microbiome

Skin microbiota analysis-inspired development of novel anti-infectives – Liu et al. – Microbiome

Human vaginal microbiome

PREPRINT: Vaginal microbiota of adolescents and their mothers: A preliminary study of vertical transmission and persistence – Bassis – bioRxiv

Human gut microbiome

Personalized whole‐body models integrate metabolism, physiology, and the gut microbiome – Thiele et al. – Mol Syst Biol

REVIEW: The gut microbiota profile of adults with kidney disease and kidney stones: a systematic review of the literature – Stanford et al. – BMC Nephrology

PREPRINT: Gut microbes and their genes are associated with brain development and cognitive function in healthy children – Bonham et al. – bioRxiv

Animal microbiome (for animals in the wild)

Microbial environment shapes immune function and cloacal microbiota dynamics in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata – van Veelen et al. – Animal Microbiome

PREPRINT: Large scale metagenome assembly reveals novel animal-associated microbial genomes, biosynthetic gene clusters, and other genetic diversity – Youngblut – bioRxiv

Water and extremophile microbiome (sea, rivers, lakes, glaciers, permafrost, high-salt)

Novel insights into the Thaumarchaeota in the deepest oceans: their metabolism and potential adaptation mechanisms – Zhong et al. – Microbiome

The role of metal contamination in shaping microbial communities in heavily polluted marine sediments – Di Cesare et al. – Environmental Pollution

Techniques

Engineering CRISPR/Cas9 to mitigate abundant host contamination for 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing – Song & Xie – Microbiome

SARS-CoV-2

PREPRINT: In silico design and characterization of multiepitopes vaccine for SARS-CoV from its Spike proteins – Kathwate – bioRxiv

May 27, 2020

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Good morning everybody. It was a bit calm during the last days. Today’s Microbiome Digest tries to give a nice summary of a broad range of latest microbiome related research. Enjoy it!

General microbiome

A microbiological survey of handwashing sinks in the hospital built environment reveals differences in patient room and healthcare personnel sinks – Franco et al – Scientific Reports

Multi-site human microbiome

REVIEW: Interaction between microbiota and immunity in health and disease – Zheng, Liwinski and Elinav – Cell Research

REVIEW: A Comprehensive Review on Natural Bioactive Compounds and Probiotics as Potential Therapeutics in Food Allergy Treatment – Pratap et al. – Front. Immunol.

Editorial: The intestinal microbiota in health and disease – Day, Keenan and Tannock – Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Human oral microbiome

Longitudinal Study of Oral Microbiome Variation in Twins – Freire et al. – Scientific Reports

Human skin microbiome

Skin Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis – Edslev, Agner and Andersen – Acta Dermato-venereologica

Human gut microbiome and virome

Preprint: Gut microbiome diversity is an independent predictor of survival in cervical cancer patients receiving chemoradiation – Sims et al. – medRxiv

The intestinal virome in children with cystic fibrosis differs from healthy controls – Coffey et al. – PLOS One

The human gut microbiota and depression: widely reviewed, yet poorly understood – Simpson, Schwartz and Simmons – Journal of Affective Disorders

The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio: A Relevant Marker of Gut Dysbiosis in Obese Patients? – Magne et al. – Nutrients

Book Chapter: Who Inhabits Our Gut? Introducing the Human Gut Microbiota – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Book Chapter: Variability and Stability of the Human Gut Microbiome – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Book Chapter: How to Analyse Microbial Communities? – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Book Chapter: Treating the Gut Microbiome as a System – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Metabolomics

REVIEW: Application of metabolomics to the study of irritable bowel syndrome – Bennet et al. – Neurogastroenterology & Motility

Animal experiments (mouse/rat experiments, chickens/pigs on different diets)

Distinct actions of the fermented beverage kefir on host behaviour, immunity and microbiome gut-brain modules in the mouse – van de Wouw et al. – Microbiology

Preprint: Physical activity shapes the intestinal microbiome and immunity of healthy mice but has no protective effects against colitis in MUC2-/- mice – Estaki et al. – bioRxiv

Synergetic responses of intestinal microbiota and epithelium to dietary inulin supplementation in pigs – He et al. – European Journal of Nutrition

Animal microbiome (for animals in the wild)

No correlation between microbiota composition and blood parameters in nesting flatback turtles (Natator depressus) – Scheelings et al. – Scientific Reports

Linking perturbations to temporal changes in diversity, stability, and compositions of neonatal calf gut microbiota: prediction of diarrhea – Ma et al. – The ISME Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

The microbiome as a biosensor: functional profiles elucidate hidden stress in hosts – Zolti et al. – Microbiology

Water and extremophile microbiome (sea, rivers, lakes, glaciers, permafrost, high-salt)

16S rRNA Gene Diversity in the Salt Crust of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, the World’s Largest Salt Flat – Pecher et al. – Microbiol Resour Announc

Built environment (subways, indoor surfaces)

Fungal diversity and its contribution to the biodeterioration of mural paintings in two 1700-year-old tombs of China – Ma et al. – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

Characterizing Microbial Signatures on Sculptures and Paintings of Similar Provenance – Torralba et al. – Microbial Ecology

Food microbiology

Proteomic and Metabolomic Correlates of Healthy Dietary Patterns: The Framingham Heart Study – Walker et al. – Nutrients

Bioinformatics/Resources

ARTS 2.0: feature updates and expansion of the Antibiotic Resistant Target Seeker for comparative genome mining – Mungan et al. – Nucleic Acid Research

Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Species of Halococcus (Strain IIIV-5B), an Endophytic Archaeon Isolated from the Leaf Tissue of Avicennia germinans – Zayas-Rivera et al. – Microbiol Resour Announc

Precise phylogenetic analysis of microbial isolates and genomes from metagenomes using PhyloPhlAn 3.0 – Asnicar et al. – Nature Communications

April 28, 2020

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Today’s post covers a divers selection of new microbiome related articles. Of particular interested in an article by Zagato et al. who describe two anti-tumourigenic strains of the microbiota.

Stay healthy!

Covid-19

Functional and Genetic Analysis of Viral Receptor ACE2 Orthologs Reveals Broad Potential Host Range of SARS-CoV-2 – Liu et al. – bioRxiv

Mapping the Immunodominance Landscape of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein for the Design of Vaccines against COVID-19 – Zhang et al. – bioRxiv

Probiotics and COVID-19: one size does not fit all – Mak, Chan, Ng – Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol

Human skin microbiome

Isolation and characterization of diverse microbial representatives from the human skin microbiome – Timm et al. – Microbiome

Human Neurology

Spinal cord injury and the human microbiome: beyond the brain–gut axis – Wallace et al. – Journal of Neurosurgery

Animal experiments (mouse/rat experiments, chickens/pigs on different diets)

Engineered butyrate-producing bacteria prevents high fat diet-induced obesity in mice – Bai et al. – Microbial Cell Factories

Gut-seeded α-synuclein fibrils promote gut dysfunction and brain pathology specifically in aged mice – Challis et al. – Nat. Neurosci.

Endogenous murine microbiota member Faecalibaculum rodentium and its human homologue protect from intestinal tumour growth. – Zagato et al. – Nat. Microbiol.

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Microbiome-Mediated Stress Resistance in Plants – Liu et al. – Trends in Plant Science

Water and extremophile microbiome (sea, rivers, lakes, glaciers, permafrost, high-salt)

Disentangling the mechanisms shaping the surface ocean microbiota – Logares et al. – Microbiome

Microbes in the news

A news feature on a recent medRxiv article
Can the gut microbiome predict severe COVID-19?

Microbiome Sequencing Services Market 2020: Remarking Enormous Growth with Recent Trends

March 25, 2020

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Today’s digest features an article about colorectal cancer signatures and E. coli and a study about the microbiome and resistome of great apes and human.

COVID-19

News: How blood from coronavirus survivors might save lives – Nature

General microbiome

What is the Origin of Human Bacterial Flora? – Alen J Salerian – Journal of Applied & Environmental Microbiology

The Microbiome of the Nose—Friend or Foe? – Sofia Dimitri-Pinheiro – Allergy Rhinol.

Pregnancy and early life

Non-targeted urinary metabolomics in pregnancy and associations with fetal growth restriction – Chelsea M. Clinton – Scientific Reports

Multi-site human microbiome

Effects of Chlorhexidine mouthwash on the oral microbiome – Raul Bescos – Scientific Reports

Human gut microbiome

Mutational signature in colorectal cancer caused by genotoxic pks+ E. coli – Cayetano Pleguezuelos-Manzano – Nature

Animal experiments

Natural agents inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and alter microbial diversity in mice – Lulu Farhana – PLOS One

Animal microbiome (for animals in the wild)

Co-abundance analysis reveals hidden players associated with high methane yield phenotype in sheep rumen microbiome – Leila Ghanbari Maman – Scientific Reports

Effects of heat stress on the gut health of poultry – Marcos H Rostagno – Journal of Animal Science

The microbiome and resistome of chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans across host lifestyle and geography – Tayte P. Campbell – THE ISME Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Impact of molasses and microbial inoculants on fermentation quality, aerobic stability, and bacterial and fungal microbiomes of barley silage – Beiyi Liu – Scientific Reports

Bacterial analysis in the early developmental stages of the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) – Pacharaporn Angthong – Scientific Reports

Water and extremophile microbiome

Microbial community profiling of ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacterial enrichments from brackishwater ecosystems for mitigating nitrogen species – Viswanathan Baskaran – Scientific Reports

Vertical Beta-Diversity of Bacterial Communities Depending on Water Stratification – Wan-Hsuan Cheng – Frontiers in Microbiology

Bioinformatics/Statistics

Artificial microbiome heterogeneity spurs six practical action themes and examples to increase study power-driven reproducibility – Abigail R. Basson – Scientific Reports

Techniques

Benchmarking the MinION: Evaluating long reads for microbial profiling – Robert M. Leidenfrost – Scientific Reports