3Ts in Gastrointestinal Microbiome Era: Technology, Translational Research and Transplant

We have entered a new era where some concepts of the complex community of microorganisms (microbiota comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, bacteriophages and helminths) are being re-discovered and re-visited. Microbiota and human interaction is not new; they have shared a long history of co-existence. Nevertheless, the opportunities to understand the role of these microorganisms in human diseases and to design a potential treatment were limited. At present, thanks to development of innovative and cutting-edge molecular biological and microbiological technologies as well as clinical informatics and bioinformatics skills, microbiome application is moving into clinics. Approaches to therapy based on prebiotics, probiotics and lately on fecal microbiota transplantation has revolutionized medicine. Microbiota outnumbers our genes and is now regarded as another organ of the body. The gastrointestinal tract and gut microbiota display a well-documented symbiotic relationship. Disruption of intestinal microbiota homeostasis—called dysbiosis—has been associated with several diseases. Whether dysbiosis is a cause or consequence of disease initiation and progression still needs to be investigated in more depth. The aim of this book is to highlight recent advances in the field of microbiome research, which are now shaping medicine, and current approaches to microbiome-oriented therapy for gastrointestinal diseases. Dr. Rinaldo Pellicano Dr. Sharmila Fagoonee Guest Editor

A Robust and Universal Metaproteomics Workflow for Research Studies and Routine Diagnostics Within 24 h Using Phenol Extraction, FASP Digest, and the MetaProteomeAnalyzer

The investigation of microbial proteins by mass spectrometry (metaproteomics) is a key technology for simultaneously assessing the taxonomic composition and the functionality of microbial communities in medical, environmental, and biotechnological applications. We present an improved metaproteomics workflow using an updated sample preparation and a new version of the MetaProteomeAnalyzer software for data analysis. High resolution by multidimensional separation (GeLC, MudPIT) was sacrificed to aim at fast analysis of a broad range of different samples in less than 24 h. The improved workflow generated at least two times as many protein identifications than our previous workflow, and a drastic increase of taxonomic and functional annotations. Improvements of all aspects of the workflow, particularly the speed, are first steps toward potential routine clinical diagnostics (i.e., fecal samples) and analysis of technical and environmental samples. The MetaProteomeAnalyzer is provided to the scientific community as a central remote server solution at www.mpa.ovgu.de.Peer Reviewe

Gut microbiome westernization in Hmong and Karen refugees and immigrants in the United States

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2018. Major: Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology. Advisor: Dan Knights. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 132 pages.Many United States immigrant populations develop metabolic diseases post-immigration, but the causes are not well understood. Although the microbiome plays a role in metabolic disease, there have been no studies measuring the effects of U.S. immigration on the gut microbiome. We collected stool, dietary recalls, and anthropometrics from 514 Hmong and Karen individuals living in Thailand and the U.S., including first- and second-generation immigrants and 19 Karen individuals sampled before and after immigration, as well as from 36 U.S.-born Caucasian individuals. Using 16S and deep shotgun metagenomic DNA sequencing, we found that migration from a non-Western country to the U.S. is associated with immediate loss of gut microbiome diversity and function, with U.S.-associated strains and functions displacing native strains and functions. These effects increase with duration of U.S. residence, and are compounded by obesity and across generations

Novel biomarkers to guide therapy in chronic inflammatory diseases

In this thesis, we focused on the role of the epigenetic modifications in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and other immune mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. In particular, we elaborated on aberrant DNA methylation and investigated its potential to predict therapy response to biological treatment. Furthermore, we explored other novel biomarkers to biological response with microbial signatures and single cell transcriptomics in IBD

Novel biomarkers to guide therapy in chronic inflammatory diseases

In this thesis, we focused on the role of the epigenetic modifications in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and other immune mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. In particular, we elaborated on aberrant DNA methylation and investigated its potential to predict therapy response to biological treatment. Furthermore, we explored other novel biomarkers to biological response with microbial signatures and single cell transcriptomics in IBD