microbiota
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLinking Human Milk Oligosaccharides, Infant Fecal Community Types, and Later Risk To Require AntibioticsHuman milk is the sole and recommended nutrition for the newborn infant and contains one of the largest constituents of diverse oligosaccharides, dubbed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Preclinical and clinical association studies indicate that HMOs have multiple physiological functions largely mediated through the establishment of the gut microbiome. Until recently, HMOs were not available to investigate their role in randomized...
Commentary | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceContext Is Key: Comparative Biology Illuminates the Vertebrate MicrobiomeMicrobes affect vertebrates on timescales from daily to evolutionary, and the cumulative effect of these interactions is immense. However, how microbiomes compare across (host) species is poorly understood, as most studies focus on relatively few species. A recent mBio article by S. J. Song, J. G. Sanders, F. Delsuc, J. Metcalf, et al. (mBio 11:e02901-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionNew Host-Directed Therapeutics for the Treatment of Clostridioides difficile InfectionClostridioides difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium and the leading cause of antibiotic-associated colitis. With few therapeutic options and high rates of disease recurrence, the need to develop new treatment options is urgent. Prior studies utilizing a repurposing approach identified three nonantibiotic Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFecal Metabolomic Signatures in Colorectal Adenoma Patients Are Associated with Gut Microbiota and Early Events of Colorectal Cancer PathogenesisColorectal adenomas are precursors of CRC. Recently, the gut microbiota, i.e., the collection of microbes residing in our gut, has been recognized as a key player in CRC development. There have been a number of gut microbiota profiling studies for colorectal adenoma and CRC; however, fewer studies have considered the gut metabolome, which serves as the chemical interface between the host and gut microbiota. Here, we conducted a gut...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Master Regulator of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Gut Colonization Controls Carbohydrate Utilization and an Alternative Protein Synthesis FactorThe bacteria occupying the mammalian gut have evolved unique strategies to thrive in their environment. Bacteroides organisms, which often comprise 25 to 50% of the human gut microbiota, derive nutrients from structurally diverse complex polysaccharides, commonly called dietary fibers. This ability requires an expansive genetic repertoire that is coordinately regulated to achieve expression of those genes dedicated to utilizing...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIntestinal IgA Regulates Expression of a Fructan Polysaccharide Utilization Locus in Colonizing Gut Commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicronGiven the significant impact that gut microbes have on our health, it is essential to identify key host and environmental factors that shape this diverse community. While many studies have highlighted the impact of diet on gut microbiota, little is known about how the host regulates this critical diet-microbiota interaction. In our present study, we discovered that gut IgA targeted a protein complex involved in the utilization of an...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Microbiota Promotes Arterial Thrombosis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Deficient MiceOur results demonstrate a functional role for the commensal microbiota in atherothrombosis. In a ferric chloride injury model of the carotid artery, GF C57BL/6J mice had increased occlusion times compared to colonized controls. Interestingly, in late atherosclerosis, HFD-fed GF Ldlr−/− mice had reduced plaque rupture-induced thrombus growth in the carotid artery and diminished ex vivo thrombus formation...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceAntibiotics and Host-Tailored Probiotics Similarly Modulate Effects on the Developing Avian Microbiome, Mycobiome, and Host Gene ExpressionAlternative approaches are greatly needed to reduce the need for antibiotic use in food animal production. This study utilized a pipeline for the development of a host-tailored probiotic to enhance performance in commercial turkeys and modulate their microbiota, similar to the effects of low-dose antibiotic administration. We determined that a host-tailored probiotic, developed in the context of the commercial turkey gut microbiome, was...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDeleterious Effects of Neonicotinoid Pesticides on Drosophila melanogaster Immune PathwaysSublethal exposure to certain pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoid insecticides) is suspected to contribute to honey bee (Apis mellifera) population decline in North America. Neonicotinoids are known to interfere with immune pathways in the gut of insects, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We used a...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceStreamlined Genetic Manipulation of Diverse Bacteroides and Parabacteroides Isolates from the Human Gut MicrobiotaWe have entered an era when studies of the gut microbiota are transitioning from basic questions of composition and host effects to understanding the microbial molecules that underlie compositional shifts and mediate health and disease processes. The importance of the gut Bacteroidales to human health and disease and their potential as a source of engineered live biotherapeutics make these bacteria of particular interest for in...