Category Archives: Metagenomics & Bioinformatics

January 14, 2018

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Today’s digest features brilliant ‘Letters to the Editors’ articles in response to recently published works, and concise microbiome reviews. Lastly, an improved method for assembly of functional metagenomes.

Gut Microbiome

Letters to the Editor: Navigating the Microbiota Seas: Triangulation Finds a Way Forward. Rosen, CE. Cell Host & Microbe.

Perturbations of the gut microbiome genes in infants with atopic dermatitis according to feeding type. Lee, M-J. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Insect Microbiome

REVIEW: Functional roles and metabolic niches in the honey bee gut microbiota. Bonilla-Rosso, G. Current Opinion in Microbiology

Letters to the Editor: Insect Gut Microbiota: Accessories to the Bite. Aksoy, S. Cell Host & Microbe

Animal Experiments and Microbiome

Characterisation of the intestinal microbial communities of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed with Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly) partially defatted larva meal as partial dietary protein source. Bruni, L. Aquaculture

REVIEW: Gastrointestinal tract (gut) health in the young pig. Pluske, JR. Animal Nutrition

Plant, soil, and water Microbiome

Deciphering the bacterial and fungal communities in clubroot-affected cabbage rhizosphere treated with Bacillus Subtilis XF-1. Liu, C. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

REVIEW:Rhizospheric microorganisms as a solution for the recovery of soils contaminated by petroleum: A review. Janzen dos Santos, J. Journal of Environmental Management.

Food Microbiome

Different temperatures select distinctive acetic acid bacteria species and promotes organic acids production during Kombucha tea fermentation. De Filippis. Food Microbiology

Techniques/Protocol

REVIEW: Fluorescence activated cell-sorting principles and applications in microalgal biotechnology. Pereira, H. Algal Research

A-GAME: improving the assembly of pooled functional metagenomics sequence data. Chiara, M. BMC Genomics

Microbes in the News

Research Says Exercise Also Improves Your Gut Bacteria

-Healthline

January 11, 2018

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Today’s Microbiome Digest is quite long, since it contains alerts from two days. There are many interesting articles in Gut, Plant and Water Microbiome Sections. Interesting review to highlight is from L. Tipton about lung mycobiome  and the one from D. Rose Ewald about human microbiota. Today we also have quite few articles about viruses, among which P.C. Hsu revails gene targets of Ebola virus microRNAs involved in the human skin microbiome,  S. S. Jagdale reports on  mutualistic interactions of viruses with lower eukaryotes and C. Winter explains how mixing alters the lytic activity of viruses in the dark ocean.

General microbiome

Complete genomic characterisation of two Escherichia coli lineages responsible for a cluster of carbapenem resistant infections in a Chinese hospital – Zhiyong Zong – bioRxiv

Geometrical Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans Mediates Flower-Like Biofilm Development – William Lopes – Frontiers in Microbiology

Pregnancy and early life

Editorial: The Neonatal Immune System: A Unique Host-Microbial Interface – Joseph M. Bliss – Frontiers in Pediatrics

Modeling Metabolic Interactions in a Consortium of the Infant Gut Microbiome – Francisco Pinto – Frontiers in Microbiology

Gene-trait matching across the Bifidobacterium longum pan-genome reveals considerable diversity in carbohydrate catabolism among human infant strains – Silvia Arboleya – Genomics

Early-life gut microbiome and egg allergy – Mina Fazlollahi – Allergy

Human respiratory microbiome

Perspective: Fungal Microbiota in Chronic Airway Inflammatory Disease and Emerging Relationships with the Host Immune Response – Irene Zhang – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbiome and asthma – Milena Sokolowska – Asthma Research and Practice

Review: The lung mycobiome in the next-generation sequencing era – Laura Tipton – Virulence

The lung tissue microbiota of mild and moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – Alexa A. Pragman – Microbiome

 Oral microbiome

Profiling of subgingival plaque biofilm microbiota in female adult patients with clear aligners: a three-month prospective study – Runzhi Guo – PeerJ

Ecological Approaches to Dental Caries Prevention: Paradigm Shift or Shibboleth? – Nebu Philip  – Caries Research

Human skin microbiome

On revealing the gene targets of Ebola virus microRNAs involved in the human skin microbiome – Pei-Chun Hsu – PeerJ

Temporal Variation of the Skin Bacterial Community and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in the Terrestrial Cryptic Frog Philoria loveridgei – Mariel Familiar López – Frontiers in Microbiology

Human vaginal microbiome

Microbiota-based analysis reveals specific bacterial traits and a novel strategy for the diagnosis of infectious infertility – Simon Graspeuntner – PLOS One

Human nearly-sterile sites 

Culture-independent analysis of liver abscess using nanopore sequencing – Liang Gong – PLOS One

Human gut microbiome

The Gut Microbiome and Control of Weight Gain – Anita L. Kozyrskyj – Pediatric Obesity

Immunosuppressive effect of the gut microbiome altered by high-dose tacrolimus in mice – Z. Zhang – American Journal of Transplatation

Review: Human microbiota, blood group antigens, and disease – D. Rose Ewald – WIREs

Microbiome, Immunomodulation, and the Neuronal System – Eric Marietta – Neurotherapeutics

Editorial: Improve gut microbiome: a new horizon of cancer therapy – Hiroshi Fukui – Hepatobiliary Surgery and Nutrition

The Gut Microbiome and Multiple Sclerosis – Javier Ochoa-Repáraz – Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine

Genomic diversity and distribution of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum across the human lifespan – Toshitaka Odamaki – Scientific Reports

Dynamics of metatranscription in the inflammatory bowel disease gut microbiome – Melanie Schirmer – Nature Microbiology

Links between Dietary Protein Sources, the Gut Microbiota, and Obesity – Lise Madsen – Frontiers in Physiology

Ceftriaxone promotes the emergence of AmpC-overproducing Enterobacteriaceae in gut microbiota from hospitalized patients – Victoire de Lastours – European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Functional analysis of arginine decarboxylase gene speA of Bacteroides dorei by markerless gene deletion – Mikiyasu Sakanaka – FEMS Microbiology Letters

SadA-Expressing Staphylococci in the Human Gut Show Increased Cell Adherence and Internalization – Arif Luqman – Cell Reports

Gut microbiome populations are associated with structure-specific changes in white matter architecture – Irene M. Ong – Translational Psychiatry

Spatiotemporally Heterogeneous Population Dynamics of Gut Bacteria Inferred from Fecal Time Series Data – Hidetoshi Inaminea – mBio

Animal experiments 

Identification of a protective B-cell epitope of the Staphylococcus aureus GapC protein by screening a phage-displayed random peptide library – Mengyao Wang – PLOS One

Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM10 alleviating oxidative stress and restoring the gut microbiota in D-galactose-induced aging mice – Jichun Zhao – Food and Function

Effect of dark sweet cherry powder consumption on the gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, and biomarkers of gut health in obese db/db mice – Jose F. Garcia-Mazcorro – PeerJ

Dietary Corn Bran Fermented by Bacillus subtilis MA139 Decreased Gut Cellulolytic Bacteria and Microbiota Diversity in Finishing Pigs – Ping Liu – Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Intestinal and Systemic Immune Responses upon Multi-drug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Colonization of Mice Harboring a Human Gut Microbiota – Eliane von Klitzing – Frontiers in Microbiology

Modulation of Intestinal Microbiome Prevents Intestinal Ischemic Injury – Alessandra Bertacco – Frontiers in Physiology

Animal microbiome 

Influence of fruit and invertebrate consumption on the gut microbiota of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) – Elizabeth K. Mallott – American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Differential Ecological Specificity of Protist and Bacterial Microbiomes across a Set of Termite Species – Lena Waidele – Frontiers in Microbiology

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Bothrops insularis bacterial and fungal microbiota – Lidiane Nunes Barbosa – Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Diazotroph abundance and community composition in an acidic soil in response to aluminum-tolerant and aluminum-sensitive maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars under two nitrogen fertilizer forms – Chao Wang – Plant and Soil

The influence of microbial communities for triadimefon enantiomerization in soils with different pH values – Khaled Mohamed Ahmed Talab – Chirality

Antimony Redox Biotransformation in the Subsurface: Effect of Indigenous Sb(V) Respiring Microbiota – Liying Wang – Encironmental Science and Technology

Biostimulant Action of Protein Hydrolysates: Unraveling Their Effects on Plant Physiology and Microbiome – Giuseppe Colla – Frontiers in Plant Science

Inner Plant Values: Diversity, Colonization and Benefits from Endophytic Bacteria – Hongwei Liu – Frontiers in Microbiology

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens L-S60 Reforms the Rhizosphere Bacterial Community and Improves Growth Conditions in Cucumber Plug Seedling – Yuxuan Qin – Frontiers in Microbiology

Exploring the Microbiota of Faba Bean: Functional Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria – Michela Verni –  Frontiers in Microbiology

Contribution of Zinc Solubilizing Bacteria in Growth Promotion and Zinc Content of Wheat – Sana Kamran – Frontiers in Microbiology

Application of Endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens and a Bacterial Consortium to Brassica napus Can Increase Plant Height and Biomass under Greenhouse and Field Conditions –  Richard D. Lally – Frontiers in Microbiology

Exploiting rhizosphere microbial cooperation for developing sustainable agriculture strategies – Yoann Besset-Manzoni – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Dynamics of oxygen and carbon dioxide in rhizospheres of Lobelia dortmanna – a planar optode study of belowground gas exchange between plants and sediment – Nikola Lenzewski – New Phytologist

Characterization of Microbial Communities in Acidified, Sulfur Containing Soils – Grzegorz Czerwonka – Polish Journal of Microbiology

Comparison of Microbial Communities Associated with Halophyte (Salsola stocksii) and Non-Halophyte (Triticum aestivum) Using Culture-Independent Approaches – Salma Mukhtar – Polish Journal of Microbiology

Water and extremophile microbiome 

Data-mining of Antibiotic Resistance Genes Provides Insight into the Community Structure of Ocean Microbiome – Shiguang Hao – bioRxiv

Mixing alters the lytic activity of viruses in the dark ocean – Christian Winter – Ecology

Biological Characterization of Microenvironments in a Hypersaline Cold Spring Mars Analog – Haley M. Sapers – Frontiers in Microbiology

Patterns and Drivers of Vertical Distribution of the Ciliate Community from the Surface to the Abyssopelagic Zone in the Western Pacific Ocean – Feng Zhao – Frontiers in Microbiology

Aerobic and Anaerobic Methanotrophic Communities Associated with Methane Hydrates Exposed on the Seafloor: A High-Pressure Sampling and Stable Isotope-Incubation Experiment – David H. Case – Frontiers in Microbiology

A Multi-season Investigation of Microbial Extracellular Enzyme Activities in Two Temperate Coastal North Carolina Rivers: Evidence of Spatial but Not Seasonal Patterns – Avery Bullock – Frontiers in Microbiology

Functional Stability and Community Dynamics during Spring and Autumn Seasons Over 3 Years in Camargue Microbial Mats – Mercedes Berlanga – Frontiers in Microbiology

Oxygenation of Hypoxic Coastal Baltic Sea Sediments Impacts on Chemistry, Microbial Community Composition, and Metabolism – Elias Broman – Frontiers in Microbiology

Exploring the Cultivable Ectocarpus Microbiome – Hetty KleinJan – Frontiers in Microbiology

Phylogenetic Structure and Metabolic Properties of Microbial Communities in Arsenic-Rich Waters of Geothermal Origin – Simona Crognale – Frontiers in Microbiology

Prokaryotic Community Composition in Arctic Kongsfjorden and Sub-Arctic Northern Bering Sea Sediments As Revealed by 454 Pyrosequencing – Yin-Xin Zeng – Frontiers in Microbiology

Comparative Metagenomics Reveals the Distinctive Adaptive Features of the Spongia officinalis Endosymbiotic Consortium – Elham Karimi – Frontiers in Microbiology

Comparative genomics highlights symbiotic capacities and high metabolic flexibility of the marine genus Pseudovibrio  – Dennis Versluis – GBE Genome BIology and Evolution

Geobacteraceae are important members of mercury-methylating microbial communities of sediments impacted by waste water releases – Andrea G. Bravo – ISME

Dynamics of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the western tropical South Pacific Ocean along a gradient of diversity and activity of diazotrophs – France Van Wambeke – Biogeosciences

Microbial methanogenesis in the sulfate-reducing zone of sediments in the Eckernförde Bay, SW Baltic Sea – Johanna Maltby – Biogeosciences

Built environment

Control of corrosive bacterial community by bronopol in industrial water system – Jayaraman Narenkumar – 3 Biotech

A metaproteomics method to determine carbon sources and assimilation pathways of species in microbial communities –  Manuel Kleiner – bioRxiv

Uncovering the Potential of Termite Gut Microbiome for Lignocellulose Bioconversion in Anaerobic Batch Bioreactors – Lucas Auer – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbial Communities Shaped by Treatment Processes in a Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Their Contribution and Threat to Drinking Water Safety – Qi Li – Frontiers in Microbiology

Food microbiology

Development of novel quinoa-based yoghurt fermented with dextran producer Weissella cibaria MG1 – Emanuele Zannini – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Bacterial Community and Spoilage Profiles Shift in Response to Packaging in Yellow-Feather Broiler, a Highly Popular Meat in Asia – Huhu Wang – Frontiers in Microbiology

Metagenomic Profiling of the Bacterial Community Changes from Koji to Mash Stage in the Brewing of Soy Sauce – Hongbin Wang – Polish Journal of Microbiology

Probiotics / prebiotics

Probiotics or Pro-healers the Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Tissue Repair – Jovanka Lukic – Wound Reparation and Regeneration

Probiotic Lactobacillus sp. inhibit growth, biofilm formation and gene expression of caries-inducing Streptococcus mutans – Reham Wasfi – Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine

A mixture of Lactobacillus species isolated from traditional fermented foods promote recovery from antibiotic-induced intestinal disruption in mice – Ying Shi – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Beneficial changes in rumen bacterial community profile in sheep and dairy calves as a result of feeding the probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 – Benjamin J Schofield – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Phages and viruses

Enemies with benefits: mutualistic interactions of viruses with lower eukaryotes – Shounak S. Jagdale – Archives of Virology

Biogeography & environmental conditions shape bacteriophage-bacteria networks across the human microbiome – Geoffrey D. Hannigan – bioRxiv

Investigation of prevalence of free Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)-specific bacteriophages and its correlation with STEC bacterial hosts in a produce-growing area in Salinas, California – Yen-Te Liao – PLOS One

Component tree analysis of cystovirus φ6 nucleocapsid Cryo-EM single particle reconstructions – Lucas M. Oliveira – PLOS One

Bioinformatics

HTSSIP: An R package for analysis of high throughput sequencing data from nucleic acid stable isotope probing (SIP) experiments – Nicholas D. Youngblut – PLOS One

Biotechnology

Cyanobacterial diversity held in microbial biological resource centers as a biotechnological asset: the case study of the newly established LEGE culture collection – Vitor Ramos – Journal of Applied Phycology

Rapidly moving new bacteria to model-organism status – Hualan Liu – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Techniques

Development of a biosensor protein bullet as a fluorescent method for fast detection of Escherichia coli in drinking water – Ignacio Gutiérrez-del-Río – PLOS One

Research Note: Methods for detecting Gemmata spp. bacteremia in the microbiology laboratory – Jacques-Robert Christen – BMS Genomics

A metaproteomics method to determine carbon sources and assimilation pathways of species in microbial communities – Manuel Kleiner – bioRxiv

Microbes in the news 

Gene/cell connection provides new insight into how our gut microbiome stays healthy

A powerful new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria was inspired by the human body

ASU developing biodegradable plastics made from bacteria

Pharmaceutical Pollution Drives Microbial Resistance in Urban Streams

Microbes and Art

This scientist creates ephemeral works of art with bioluminescent bacteria

January 9, 2018

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Today, a brief digest with several reviews: microbiota in multiple sclerosis, food allergy, microbiome and diabetes, modulation of cardiovascular diseases and more. Additionally: GI tract gas analysis, SCFA effects on human, and the effect of inulin-type fructans on human microbiota.  

Human Microbiome

Review: The Local Defender and Functional Mediator: Gut Microbiome – Yang H. – Digestion

Review: Update of treatment algorithms for Clostridium difficile infection – R.E. Ooijevaar – Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Review: Gut microbiome and pediatric multiple sclerosis – Helen Tremlett – Multiple Sclerosis Journal

Review: “Evaluating Causality of Gut Microbiota in Obesity and Diabetes in Humans” – A.S. Meijnikman – Endocrine Reviews

Review: Mechanisms of food allergy – Hugh A. Sampson – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Review: Microbial modulation of cardiovascular disease – J. Mark Brown  – Nature Reviews Microbiology

A human pilot trial of ingestible electronic capsules capable of sensing different gases in the gut – Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh – Nature Electronics

An introduction to the microbiome and MS – Sebastien Trott – Multiple Sclerosis Journal

Anatomic Site of Sampling and the Rectal Mucosal Microbiota in HIV negative MSM engaging in CRAI – Nicole Pescatore – AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

Clinical sources and antimicrobial susceptibility of Prevotella timonensis at the university hospital of Montpellier, France – Salim Aberkane – Anaerobe

A human pilot trial of ingestible electronic capsules capable of sensing different gases in the gut – Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh – Nature Electronics

Microbiota derived short chain fatty acids promote histone crotonylation in the colon through histone deacetylases – Rachel Fellows – Scientific Reports

Increased Abundance of Clostridium and Fusobacterium in Gastric Microbiota of Patients with Gastric Cancer in Taiwan – Yung-Yu Hsieh – Scientific Reports

SCFAs strongly stimulate PYY production in human enteroendocrine cells – P. Larraufie – Scientific Reports

Profiling the lymphoid-resident T cell pool reveals modulation by age and microbiota – Aurélie Durand – Nature Communications

 

Animal Microbiome

Evaluation of the effects of different diets on microbiome diversity and fatty acid composition of rumen liquor in dairy goat – P. Cremonesi – Animal

Ecological plasticity in the gastrointestinal microbiomes of Ethiopian Chlorocebus monkeys – Pål Trosvik – Scientific Reports

Dietary soybean meal affects intestinal homoeostasis by altering the microbiota, morphology and inflammatory cytokine gene expression in northern snakehead – Shuyan Miao – Scientific Reports

 

Food Microbiome

Bacterial community assembly from cow teat skin to ripened cheeses is influenced by grazing systems – Marie Frétin – Scientific Reports

 

Beneficial Microbes and Beneficial Compounds

Tetraglochin cristatum (Britton) Roth: a medicinal plant from the Argentinean highlands with potential use in vaginal candidiasis – María Alejandra Moreno – Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Habitual dietary fibre intake influences gut microbiota response to an inulin-type fructan prebiotic: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, human intervention study – Genelle Healey – British Journal of Nutrition

Genomic diversity and distribution of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum across the human lifespan – Toshitaka Odamaki – Scientific Reports

 

Extremophiles

Deepest and hottest hydrothermal activity in the Okinawa Trough: the Yokosuka site at Yaeyama Knoll – Junichi Miyazaki – Royal Society Open Science

January 3, 2018

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Today we have a nice event /training in social science techniques organized by NERC in Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh (UK), few microbiology jobs, an interesting review from Arun T. Nair in “Gut Microbiome”, quite a few papers about Synechococcus in “Water and extremophile microbiome”. Check as well “Microbes on market” where you can read about Google and Microsoft investing in medicine startup DNAnexus.

Events

Social science techniques for natural scientists training funded by NERC, UK

Jobs

Microbiologist – Kent, UK

Scientist/Sr.Scientist – Strain Development, CJM Talent Solutions, San Francisco, US

Associate/Assistant Professor : Miami, Florida, FL, US

General microbiome

Comparison of genomes and proteomes of four whole genome-sequenced Campylobacter jejuni from different phylogenetic backgrounds – Clifford G. Clark – PLOS

Phylogenetic inference of Coxiella burnetii by 16S rRNA gene sequencing – Heather P. McLaughlin -PLOS

The photosynthetic bacteria Rhodobacter capsulatus and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as new hosts for cyclic plant triterpene biosynthesis – Anita Loeschcke -PLOS

Pregnancy and early life

Effect of innate antiviral glycoproteins in breast milk on seroconversion to rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix) in children in Lusaka, Zambia – Katayi Mwila-Kazimbaya – PLOS

Oral microbiome

Frequency and levels of candidate endodontic pathogens in acute apical abscesses as compared to asymptomatic apical periodontitis – Isabela N. Rôças – PLOS

Human vaginal microbiome

Combined oral and topical antimicrobial therapy for male partners of women with bacterial vaginosis: Acceptability, tolerability and impact on the genital microbiota of couples – A pilot study – Erica L. Plummer – PLOS

Candida albicans-derived mannoproteins activate NF-κB in reporter cells expressing TLR4, MD2 and CD14 – Traci Ness – PLOS

Replication-dependent size reduction precedes differentiation in Chlamydia trachomatis – Jennifer K. Lee – Nature Communications

Human gut microbiome

T6SS: The bacterial “fight club” in the host gut – Thibault G. Sana – PLOS Pathogens

Review: Gut Microbiota Dysfunction as Reliable Non-invasive Early Diagnostic Biomarkers in the Pathophysiology of Parkinson’s Disease: A Critical Review – Arun T Nair – Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility

Animal experiments

Effect of dietary xylooligosaccharides on intestinal characteristics, gut microbiota, cecal short-chain fatty acids, and plasma immune parameters of laying hens – X M Ding – Poultry Science

Influence of a diet enriched with virgin olive oil or butter on mouse gut microbiota and its correlation to physiological and biochemical parameters related to metabolic syndrome – Isabel Prieto – PLOS

Modulation of the diet and gastrointestinal microbiota normalizes systemic inflammation and β-cell chemokine expression associated with autoimmune diabetes susceptibility – Angela M. Henschel – PLOS

Dietary Lactobacillus acidophilus positively influences growth performance, gut morphology, and gut microbiology in rurally reared chickens  – C Forte – Poultry Science

Animal microbiome

Oral Disease and Microbiota in Free-Roaming Cats – Ana Whyte – Topics in Companion Animal Medicine

Review: Effect of Enterococcus Faecium Strain SF68 on Gastrointestinal Signs and Fecal Microbiome in Cats Administered Amoxicillin-Clavulanate – C. Torres-Henderson – Topics in Companion Animal Medicine

Water and extremophile microbiome

Clade and strain specific contributions of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus to carbon export in the Sargasso Sea – Francesca De Martini – Limnology and Oceanography

Microbial proteins for organic material degradation in the deep ocean – David L. Kirchman – PNAS

Photosynthetic functions of Synechococcus in the ocean microbiomes of diverse salinity and seasons – Yihwan Kim – PLOS

Potential impact of global climate change on benthic deep-sea microbes – Roberto Danovaro – FEMS Microbiology Letters

Variability in the production of organic ligands, by Synechococcus PCC 7002, under different iron scenarios – Guillermo Samperio-Ramos – Journal of Oceanography

Effect of light on N2 fixation and net nitrogen release of Trichodesmium in a field study – Yangyang Lu – Biogeosciences

Microbial diversity of saline environments: searching for cytotoxic activities – Carolina Díaz-Cárdenas – AMB Express

Aerobic proteobacterial methylotrophs in Movile Cave: genomic and metagenomic analyses – Deepak Kumaresan – BMC Microbiome

Probiotics / prebiotics

Bifidobacteria or Fiber Protects against Diet-Induced Microbiota-Mediated Colonic Mucus Deterioration – Bjoern O. Schroeder – Cell Host and Microbe

Modifying progression of aging and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases by probiotics and synbiotics – Huey Shi Lye – Frontiers In Bioscience

Phages and viruses

Isolation and characterization of a N4-like lytic bacteriophage infecting Vibrio splendidus, a pathogen of fish and bivalves – Pantelis Katharios – PLOS

High human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in South African adolescents and young women encourages expanded HPV vaccination campaigns – Zizipho Z. A. Mbulawa – PLOS

Zika virus infection modulates the bacterial diversity associated with Aedes aegypti as revealed by metagenomic analysis – Luis E. M. Villegas – PLOS

Localized Recombination Drives Diversification of Killing Spectra for Phage Derived Syringacins – David Baltrus – bioRxiv

Bioinformatics

Assessment of the cPAS-based BGISEQ-500 platform for metagenomic sequencing – Chao Fang – Giga Science

 

Techniques

Imaging bacteria inside their host by cryo-focused ion beam milling and electron cryotomography – João M Medeiros – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Tech company’s lights being used to kill germs in ambulances

Astronauts Identify Mystery Microbes in Space for the 1st Time

Microbes on the market

Seres Therapeutics Inc (MCRB) Holdings Increased by State Street Corp

Microsoft, Google invest in precision medicine startup DNAnexus

Tina’s non-microbiology picks

Synthetic Biology in the Driving Seat of the Bioeconomy – Yensi Flores Bueso – Trends in Biotechnology

Expect exoplanet atmospheres, organs with new functions and fewer traffic jams in 2018

January 2, 2018

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Happy New Year from the Microbiome Digest team!

General microbiome

Pre-print: Understanding How Microbiomes Influence The Systems They Inhabit: moving from a correlative to a causal research framework – E K Hall – bioRxiv

Human vaginal microbiome

A retrospective pilot study to determine whether the reproductive tract microbiota differs between women with a history of infertility and fertile women – Bryan A Wee – Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Human gut microbiome

Rates of Gut Microbiome Divergence in Mammals – Alex H Nishida – Molecular Ecology

Animal microbiome

Processes shaping gut microbiota diversity in allopatric populations of the endemic lizard Podarcis lilfordi from Menorcan islets (Balearic Islands) – Laura Baldo – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Individual- and Species-Specific Skin Microbiomes in Three Different Estrildid Finch Species Revealed by 16S Amplicon Sequencing – Kathrin Engel – Microbial Ecology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Vertical variation of a black soil’s properties in response to freeze-thaw cycles and its links to shift of microbial community structure – Ziming Han – Science of the Total Environment

Biomass, activity and structure of rhizosphere soil microbial community under different metallophytes in a mining site – Wenhao Yang – Plant and Soil

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by rhizobia — the roots of a success story – Catherine Masson-Boivin – Current Opinion in Plant Biology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Microbial community structure and function in sediments from e-waste contaminated rivers at Guiyu area of China – Jun Liu – Environmental Pollution

Pre-print: Micro-scale ecology regulates particulate organic matter turnover in model marine microbial communities – Tim N Enke – bioRxiv

Food microbiology

Autochthonous facility-specific microbiota dominates washed-rind Austrian hard cheese surfaces and its production environment – Narciso M Quijada – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Bioinformatics

CoMet: a workflow using contig coverage and composition for binning a metagenomic sample with high precision – Damayanthi Herath – BMC Bioinformatics

Techniques

Serial Dilution-Based Growth Curves and Growth Curve Synchronization for High-Resolution Time Series of Bacterial Biofilm Growth – Fernando Govantes – Host-Pathogen Interactions

Microbes in the news

Fiber Is Good for You. Now Scientists May Know Why. – Carl Zimmer – The New York Times

Fast, Cheap Testing for Tuberculosis? Soon It May Be Possible – Donald G McNeil – The New York Times

How probiotics can help ward off health complications in premature babies – CTV News

Science, career, and publishing

Pre-print: Disequilibrium in Gender Ratios among Authors who Contributed Equally – Nichole A Broderick – bioRxiv

December 26, 2017

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Quite a few articles today especially in the plant/soil and water/extremophile sections. Plus: a new zebrafish model of the human gut microbiome, fiber and bifidos protect against north american diet-induced increased gut permeability in mice, prebiotics from the Morinda plant not only alter the gut microbiome but improve Alzheimers-like symptoms in a rat model, micro-eukaryotes may be an important factor in a deadly skin fungus infection in the Cascades Frog, and a new Leaf-FISH technique to visualize bacterial communities on plants. Happy Holidays!

Human oral microbiome

The oral microbiome—the relevant reservoir for acute pediatric appendicitis? – Carlotta Blod – International Journal of Colorectal Disease

Differences in carbon source usage by dental plaque in children with and without early childhood caries – Yan Zhao – International Journal of Oral Science

Review: Task Force on Design and Analysis in Oral Health Research: Host-Microbiome Interactions in Dysbiosis – T.E. Van Dyke – JDR Clinical & Translational Research

Human gut microbiome

Review: Probiotics and necrotizing enterocolitis – Ravi Mangal Patel – Seminars in Pediatric Surgery

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Animal experiments

Fusimonas intestini gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel intestinal bacterium of the family Lachnospiraceae associated with diabetes in mice – Hiroyuki Kusada – Scientific Reports

*Zebrafish Axenic Larvae Colonization with Human Intestinal Microbiota – Arias-Jayo Nerea – Zebrafish

*Bifidobacteria or Fiber Protects against Diet-Induced Microbiota-Mediated Colonic Mucus Deterioration – Bjoern O. Schroeder – Cell Host & Microbe

In Silico Analysis of the Small Molecule Content of Outer Membrane Vesicles Produced by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Indicates an Extensive Metabolic Link between Microbe and Host – William A. Bryant – Frontiers in Microbiology

*Prebiotic Effect of Fructooligosaccharides from Morinda officinalis on Alzheimer’s Disease in Rodent Models by Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis – Diling Chen – Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Animal microbiome

Effect of Environmental Factors and an Emerging Parasitic Disease on Gut Microbiome of Wild Salmonid Fish – Anti Vasemägi – mSphere

*Composition of Micro-eukaryotes on the Skin of the Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae) and Patterns of Correlation between Skin Microbes and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis – Jordan G. Kueneman – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Chemical investigation of metabolites produced by an endophytic fungi Phialemonium curvatum from the leaves of Passiflora edulis –  G. R. Nalin Rathnayake – Natural Product Research

Novel hydrocarbonoclastic metal-tolerant Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas strains from Aconcagua river oil-polluted soil – Valentina Méndez – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Spatial patterns of enzyme activities in the rhizosphere: Effects of root hairs and root radius – Xiaomin Ma – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

The rhizosphere microbial community response to a bio-organic fertilizer: finding the mechanisms behind the suppression of watermelon Fusarium wilt disease – Jia Zhao – Acta Physiologiae Plantarum

Efficiency of two inoculation methods of Pseudomonas putida on growth and yield of tomato plants – Luis G. Hernández-Montiel – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Rhizospere yeasts improve P uptake of a maize arbuscular mycorrhizal association – Marcela Sarabia – Applied Soil Ecology

Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms: key players in the promotion of plant growth – Adenike Eunice Amoo – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Review: Potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB): Mechanisms, promotion of plant growth, and future prospects ­ A review – H. Etesami – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Long-term phosphorus fertilization effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in Uruguayan grasses – Silvina García – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Alcaligenes faecalisassociated with Mimosa calodendron rizhosphere assist plant survival in arsenic rich soils – Érica Barbosa Felestrino – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Functional land-use change effects on soil fungal communities in Chilean temperate rainforests – César Marín – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Probiotic strain Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila BJ1 degrades and reduces chlorothalonil toxicity to soil enzymes, microbial communities and plant roots – Qingming Zhang – AMB Express

Low light availability alters root exudation and reduces putative beneficial microorganisms in seagrass roots –  Belinda C. Martin – Frontiers in Microbiology

Effects of biochar on nutrients and the microbial community structure of tobacco-planting soils – Gao Lin – Journal of soil science and plant nutrition

Root-associated bacterial and fungal community profiles of Arabidopsis thaliana are robust across contrasting soil P levels – Chanz Robbins – Phytobiomes

Water and extremophile microbiome

Biogeographical patterns of bacterial and archaeal communities from distant hypersaline environments – M.R. Mora-Ruiz del – Systematic and Applied Microbiology

Cloning, Over-Expression, and Purification of Carbonic Anhydrase from an Extremophilic Bacterium: An Introduction to Advanced Molecular Biology – Vijayakumar Somalinga – The American Biology Teacher

Salinivibrio kushneri sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from salterns – Clara López-Hermoso – Systematic and Applied Microbiology

Genome sequencing and heterologous expression of antiporters reveal alkaline response mechanisms of Halomonas alkalicola – Lei Zhai – Extremophiles

Benthic phototrophic community from Kiran soda lake, south-eastern Siberia – Ekaterina I. Burganskaya – Extremophiles

Enhancing the adaptability of the deep-sea bacterium Shewanella piezotolerans WP3 to high pressure and low temperature by experimental evolution under H2O2 stress – Zhe Xie – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Fungal community structure at pelagic and littoral sites in Lake Biwa determined with high-throughput sequencing – Peixue Song – Limnology

Spatiotemporal dynamics of marine bacterial and archaeal communities in surface waters off the northern Antarctic Peninsula – Camila N. Signori – Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

Microbial Ecology

Dissertation: The Macroecology of Microorganisms: From Pattern to Process – David Clark – University of Essex

Review: Using metabolic networks to resolve ecological properties of microbiomes – Emilie E.L. Muller – Current Opinion in Systems Biology

Microbial stress mediated intercellular nanotubes in an anaerobic microbial consortium digesting cellulose – Martina John – Scientific Reports

Built environment

Distribution of Legionella and bacterial community composition among regionally diverse US cooling towers – Anna C. Llewellyn – PLOS one

Food microbiology

Identification of natural antimicrobial peptides from bacteria through metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis of high-throughput transcriptome data of Taiwanese oolong teas – Kai-Yao Huang – BMC Systems Biology

Strain-Level Metagenomic Analysis of the Fermented Dairy Beverage Nunu Highlights Potential Food Safety Risks – Aaron M. Walsh – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

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Probiotics / prebiotics

Review: Recent Development of Prebiotic Research—Statement from an Expert Workshop – Giorgio La Fata – Nutrients

Effects of fermented soymilk with Lactobacillus casei Shirota on skin condition and the gut microbiota: a randomised clinical pilot trial – T. Nagino – Beneficial Microbes

Phages and viruses

Novel ssDNA viruses detected in the virome of bleached, habitat-forming kelp Ecklonia radiata –  Douglas Beattie – Frontiers in Marine Science

Bioinformatics

Vipie: web pipeline for parallel characterization of viral populations from multiple NGS samples – Jake Lin – BMC Genomics

Techniques

*Leaf-FISH: Microscale imaging of bacterial taxa on phyllosphere –  Elena L. Peredo – Frontiers in Microbiology

A new suite of plasmid vectors for fluorescence-based imaging of root colonizing pseudomonads –  Rosemarie Wilton – Frontiers in Plant Science

Synthetic microbial consortia enable rapid assembly of pure translation machinery – Fernando Villarreal – Nature Chemical Biology

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Microbes in the news

Essential science: Link between gut microbes and despair – Tim Sandle – Digital Science

Enjoy the holidays, but don’t forget your fiber – Tim Sandle – Digital Science

 

December 21, 2017

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Today’s digest features an original research article showing administration of Bifidobacterium may ameliorate toxicity of a a checkpoint blockade antibody in mice and a review on the concept of enterotypes in the human gut microbiome.

Events and jobs

Explorations in Data Analyses for Metagenomic Advances in Microbial Ecology (EDAMAME) workshop at Kellogg Biological Station 24-30 June 2018.

Human respiratory microbiome

Disordered oropharyngeal microbial communities in H7N9 patients with or without secondary bacterial lung infection – Emerging microbes & infections – Hai-feng Lu

Human gut microbiome

Review: Gut microbiota in 2017: Contribution of gut microbiota–host cooperation to drug efficacy – Nathalie M. Delzenne – Nature reviews gastroenterology & hepatology

Editorial : Are diets the answers to colon ills? Food, irritable bowel syndrome and the microbiome – Quigley Eamonn M.M.

Exposure to environmental microbiota explains persistent abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome after a major flood – NurFadhilah Yusof – Gut Pathogens

*Perspective : Enterotypes in the landscape of gut microbial community composition – Paul I. Costea – Nature Microbiology

Animal experiments

Evaluation of Probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum CCM 7421 Administration with Alginite in Dogs – Viola Strompfová – Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins

* Bifidobacterium can mitigate intestinal immunopathology in the context of CTLA-4 blockade – Feng Wang – PNAS

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Biogeography and ecological diversity patterns of rare and abundant bacteria in oil-contaminated soils – Shuo Jiao – Molecular ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome 

Bacterial Diversity and Biogeochemistry of Two Marine Shallow-Water Hydrothermal Systems off Dominica (Lesser Antilles) – Petra Pop Ristova – Frontiers in Microbiology

Temporal Dynamics of the Microbial Community Composition with a Focus on Toxic Cyanobacteria and Toxin Presence during Harmful Algal Blooms in Two South German Lakes – Pia I. Scherer – Frontiers in Microbiology

Probiotics / prebiotics

Galactooligosaccharide supplementation provides protection against Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis without limiting pathogen burden – Hatem Kittana – Microbiology

Bifidobacteria and Their Molecular Communication with the Immune System – Lorena Ruiz – Frontiers in Microbiology

Phages and viruses

Toward Understanding Phage:Host Interactions in the Rumen; Complete Genome Sequences of Lytic Phages Infecting Rumen Bacteria – Rosalind A. Gilbert – Frontiers in Microbiology

Resolution of habitat-associated ecogenomic signatures in bacteriophage genomes and application to microbial source tracking – Lesley A. Ogilvie – The ISME Journal

Pre-print: Temperate phages as self-replicating weapons in bacterial competition – Xiang-Yi Li – bioRxiv

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Microbes in the news

Researchers Create Bacteria-Killing Steel Nanospikes

Are phages our best bet against antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

Bacteria Art

Science and Art Join Forces to Challenge our Anthropocentric Worldviews

Loyola Biology Professor Will Display Art At ARC Gallery

Anitha’s non-microbiology picks

Scientists discover entirely new material that cannot be explained by classical physics

Smothered jet may explain weird light from neutron star crash

Study of beetle flagellum offers possible way to improve medical devices

December 20, 2017

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A long but great digest today, with lots of diversity – a few studies of poultry gut microbiome and the effects food/probiotics have, a solid showing for human gut microbiome studies – covering its implications on a range of disorders, some news about biotech companies, studies on plants and from environmental sources, a promising analysis of techniques used for sampling for human gut studies, and my normal dosage of non-microbiology science.  Happy Holidays!

Events and jobs

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR How to Harness the Microbiome: Considerations and Implications of the Microbiome in Preclinical Research with Reproducible Results

Senior Biomedical Scientist (Microbiology) – Matchtech – Essex, England

Staff Research Associate 3, UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics

Assistant (10782) – Clinical chemistry, microbiology and immunology – Ghent University

Pregnancy and early life

Early-Life Human Microbiota Associated With Childhood Allergy Promotes the T Helper 17 Axis in Mice – Dagbjort H. Petursdottir – Frontiers in Immunology

[Accepted Manuscript] – The neonatal window of opportunity – early priming for life – Harald Renz -Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Human oral microbiome

The Microbiome of Potentially Malignant Oral Leukoplakia Exhibits Enrichment for Fusobacterium, Leptotrichia, Campylobacter, and Rothia Species – Abdrazak Amer – Frontiers in Microbiology

Exploring the Association between Alzheimer’s Disease, Oral Health, Microbial Endocrinology and Nutrition – Alice Harding – Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Admission to the Intensive Care Unit is Associated With Changes in the Oral Mycobiome – Richard R. Watkins – Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Human nearly-sterile sites

Metagenomics in pooled plasma, with identification of potential emerging infectious pathogens – Min Xu – Transfusion

Human gut microbiome

** High-resolution profiling of the gut microbiome reveals the extent of Clostridium difficile burden – Ninalynn Daquigan – npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Unravelling the specificity and mechanism of sialic acid recognition by the gut symbiont Ruminococcus gnavus – C. David Owen – Nature Communication

[Editorial] Is gut microbiome a predictive marker to response to immune checkpoint inhibitors? – Khalil Saleh – Immunotherapy

* Microbiota Modulate Anxiety-Like Behavior and Endocrine Abnormalities in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis – Ran Huo – Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiology

Possible role of the gut microbiota–brain axis in the antidepressant effects of (R)-ketamine in a social defeat stress model – Chun Yang – Translational Psychiatry

Microbial antigen encounter during a preweaning interval is critical for tolerance to gut bacteria – Kathryn A. Knoop – Science Immunology

* Stool Donor Body Mass Index Does Not Affect Recipient Weight After a Single Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for C. difficile Infection – Monika Fischer – Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

The role of microbiota in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder and the possibility of targeting microbiota as a treatment option – Fengli Lv – Oncotarget

Characterization of the urinary microbiota of elderly women and the effects of type 2 diabetes and urinary tract infections on the microbiota – Fengping Liu – Oncotarget

Animal experiments 

* Food-grade cationic antimicrobial ε-polylysine transiently alters the gut microbial community and predicted metagenome function in CD-1 mice – Xiaomeng You – npj Science of Food

Significant improvement of intestinal microbiota of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) after traditional Chinese medicine feeding – Zhenbing Wu – Journal of Applied Microbiology

* The gastrointestinal microbiome and its association with the control of pathogens in broiler chicken production: A review – Viviana Clavijo – Poultry Science

Influence of dietary avilamycin on ileal and cecal microbiota in broiler chickens – J-H Choi – Poultry Science

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

* Geometagenomics illuminates the impact of agriculture on the distribution and prevalence of plant viruses at the ecosystem scale – Pauline Bernardo – The ISME Journal

Dispersal alters bacterial diversity and composition in a natural community – Michaeline B N Albright – The ISME Journal

** Genomic features of bacterial adaptation to plants – Asaf Levy – Nature Genetics

Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Co-occurrence Pattern during Vegetation Restoration in Karst Rocky Desertification Area – Liang Xue – Frontiers in Microbiology

First insight into microbial community composition in a phosphogypsum waste heap soil – Sylwia Zielińska – ABP

* Harnessing the microbiomes of Brassica vegetables for health issues – Birgit Wassermann – Scientific Reports

Water and extremophile microbiome 

Microdiversification in genome-streamlined ubiquitous freshwater Actinobacteria – Stefan M Neuenschwander – The ISME Journal

Recurrent patterns of microdiversity in a temperate coastal marine environment – Meghan Chafee – The ISME Journal

Microcystin-LR does not induce alterations to transcriptomic or metabolomic profiles of a model heterotrophic bacterium – Robbie M. Martin – PLOS One

Pre-treatment and inoculum affect the microbial community structure and enhance the biogas reactor performance in a pilot-scale biodigestion of municipal solid waste – Valeria Ventorino – Waste Management

Food microbiology

* Inner Workings: Companies seek food safety using a microbiome approach – Carolyn Beans – PNAS

Phages and viruses

* Temporal dynamics of uncultured viruses: a new dimension in viral diversity – Ksenia Arkhipova – The ISME Journal

Bioinformatics

A confidence interval analysis of sampling effort, sequencing depth, and taxonomic resolution of fungal community ecology in the era of high-throughput sequencing – Ryoko Oono – PLOS One

Techniques

Performance of DNA metabarcoding, standard barcoding, and morphological approach in the identification of host–parasitoid interactions – Martin Šigut – PLOS One

** Successful collection of stool samples for microbiome analyses from a large community-based population of elderly men – Melanie Abrahamson – Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications

Microbes on the market 

BiomX Acquires RondinX to Boost Microbiome Discovery and Development Capabilities

Vanterra Capital Backs BIOHM Health, A Total Microbiome Company

Second Genome Advances Lead, Oral Small Molecule SGM-1019, Toward Clinical Investigation in NASH After Demonstrating Safety and Tolerability in Phase 1 Study

Ed’s non-microbiology picks 

Cannabidiol (CBD) as an Adjunctive Therapy in Schizophrenia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial – Philip McGuire – The American Journal of Psychiatry

Effects of Legal Access to Cannabis on Scheduled II–V Drug Prescriptions – Sarah S. Stith – JAMDA

Ticks parasitised feathered dinosaurs as revealed by Cretaceous amber assemblages – Enrique Peñalver – Nature Communications

Induced and controlled dietary ketosis as a regulator of obesity and metabolic syndrome pathologies – Madeline K. Gibas – Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews

The effect of vitamin D supplement on the score and quality of sleep in 20-50 year-old people with sleep disorders compared with control group – Mohammad Shahi Majid – Nutritional Neuroscience

Engineers create plants that glow – MIT

December 19, 2017

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Changes to the oral microbiota are associated with risk factors for oral cancer, the benefits of endophytic bacteria on plants, analysis of biofilms from a worldwide sampling of shower hoses.

Pregnancy and early life

Diversity of vaginal microbiota increases by the time of labor onset – Ekaterina Avershina – Scientific Reports

Human oral microbiome

Alterations in oral bacterial communities are associated with risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancer – Daniela Börnigen – Scientific Reports

Oral Microbiota: Microbial Biomarkers of Metabolic Syndrome Independent of Host Genetic Factors – Jiyeon Si – Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Animal experiments

Pre-print: Antenatal microbial colonisation of mammalian gut – Elisa Borghi – bioRxiv

Metagenome Analysis of Bodily Microbiota in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer Disease Using Bacteria-derived Membrane Vesicles in Blood – Jin-Young Park – Experimental Neurobiology

Animal microbiome

Differential Ecological Specificity of Protist and Bacterial Microbiomes across a Set of Termite Species – Lena Waidele – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Pre-print: The ecological genetics of Pseudomonas syringae residing on the kiwifruit leaf surface – Christina Straub – bioRxiv

Inner Plant Values: Diversity, Colonization and Benefits from Endophytic Bacteria – Hongwei Liu – Frontiers in Microbiology

Frankia diversity in host-plant root nodules is independent of abundance or relative diversity of Frankia in corresponding rhizosphere soils – Seifeddine Ben Tekaya – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Correlated production and consumption of chloromethane in the Arabidopsis thaliana phyllosphere – Muhammad Farhan Ul Haque – Scientific Reports

Rhizodeposition under drought is controlled by root growth rate and rhizosphere water content – Maire Holz – Plant and Soil

Water and extremophile microbiome

Localized high abundance of Marine group II archaea in the subtropical Pearl River Estuary: implications for their niche adaptation – Wei Xie – Environmental Microbiology

Thermophilic bacterial communities inhabiting the microbial mats of “indifferent” and chalybeate (iron-rich) thermal springs: Diversity and biotechnological analysis – Ramganesh Selvarajan – MicrobiologyOpen

Distribution and phylogeny of anaerobic anammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria in water column of the central Pacific Ocean – Koji Hamasaki – Deap Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

Built environment

Biofilms in shower hoses – Caitlin R Proctor – Water Research

Phages and viruses

Pre-print: Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) – Pathogen or Passenger? A pilot study of clinical laboratory data and next generation sequencing – Colin Sharp – bioRxiv

Pre-print: ACI-1 class A beta-lactamase is widespread across human gut microbiomes due to transposons harboured by tailed prophages – Chris M Rands – bioRxiv

Bioinformatics

Pre-print: How, when, and where relic DNA biases estimates of microbial diversity – J T Lennon – bioRxiv

Metabolomics

Plasma microbiome-modulated indole- and phenyl-derived metabolites associate with advanced atherosclerosis and postoperative outcomes – Cori A Cason – Journal of Vascular Surgery

Best-matched internal standard normalization in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics applied to environmental samples – Angela K Boysen – Analytical Chemistry

Techniques

Microfluidics: A new tool for microbial single cell analyses in human microbiome studies – Yuguang Liu – Biomicrofluidics

Pre-print: CLIQ-BID: A method to quantify bacteria-induced damage to eukaryotic cells by automated live-imaging of bright nuclei – Yann Wallez – bioRxiv

Mapping the ecological networks of microbial communities – Yandong Xiao – Nature Communications

More microbes

Pre-print: Molecular insights into Vibrio cholerae’s intra-amoebal host-pathogen interactions – Charles Van der Henst – bioRxiv

Nature to the natural rescue: Silencing microbial chats – Diby Paul – Chemico-Biological Interactions

Microbes in the news

Tracking effects of a food preservative on the gut microbiome – EurekAlert

Microbiome intervention with niacin aids insulin sensitivity – Medical Xpress

Wound scanner shows bacteria glowing if your body is infected – New Scientist

Engineering new cellular scaffolding for bacteria – Celia Henry Arnaud – Chemical & Engineering News

Viruses can transfer genes across the superkingdoms of life – ScienceDaily

Microbes on the market

British Health Technology Company Expanding Into Ten European Countries – PR Newswire

December 15, 2017

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The leaders of ten research universities/institutes pledge to report student and postdoc outcomes in biomedical research as the Coalition for Next Generation Life Science initiative, commensal fungi and their cell-wall mannans can functionally replace benefits of intestinal bacteria, a new cheese starter system with improved bacteriophage resistance and antimicrobial activity.

Events and jobs

Postdoctoral Fellow, Functional Microbiome – Claesen Group, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic (also looking for interested graduate students)

Human nearly-sterile sites

Microorganisms in the human placenta are associated with altered CpG methylation of immune and inflammation-related genes – Martha Scott Tomlinson – PLOS ONE

Human gut microbiome

Faecal microbiota transplantation for Clostridium difficile infection using a lyophilized inoculum from non-related donors: A case series involving 19 patients – Vigvári Szabolcs – Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica

Animal experiments

Commensal Fungi Recapitulate the Protective Benefits of Intestinal Bacteria – Tony T Jiang – Cell Host & Microbe

CCL28-Deficient Mice Have Reduced IgA Antibody–Secreting Cells and an Altered Microbiota in the Colon – Kazuhiko Matsuo – The Journal of Immunology

Animal microbiome

Behavior of bacteriome symbionts during transovarial transmission and development of the Asian citrus psyllid – Hiroki Dan – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Root-derived carbon and nitrogen from beech and ash trees differentially fuel soil animal food webs of deciduous forests – Sarah L Zieger – PLOS ONE

Historical and recent land use affects ecosystem functions in subtropical grasslands in Brazil – Jan L G Leidinger – Ecosphere

Mechanisms of arsenic sequestration by Prosopis juliflora during phytostabilization of metalliferous mine tailings – Corin M Hammond

Transfer Mechanism, Uptake Kinetic Process and Bioavailability of P, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn in Macrophyte Rhizosphere Using DGT – Shengrui Wang – Environmental Science & Technology

Food microbiology

A Multibacteriocin Cheese Starter System, Comprising Nisin and Lacticin 3147 in Lactococcus lactis, in Combination with Plantaricin from Lactobacillus plantarum – S Mills – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Bioinformatics

Colonic Butyrate-Producing Communities in Humans: an Overview Using Omics Data – Marius Vital – mSystems

Discovery of carbamate degrading enzymes by functional metagenomics – Lisa Ufarté – PLOS ONE

Science, career, and publishing

A new data effort to inform career choices in biomedicine – Rebecca Blank – Science

News Feature: The science that’s never been cited – Richard Van Noorden – Nature