Project description:we analyzed the characteristics of the respiratory microbiome, which was collected from different sites and using different sampling methods.
Project description:Bone collagen is an important organic material for isotopic measurement, radiocarbon and paleoproteomic analyzes, to provide information on diet, dating, taxonomic identification. Current paleoproteomics methods are destructive and require from a few milligrams to several tenths of milligrams of bone for analysis. In many cultures, bones are raw materials for artefact which are conserved in museum which hampers to damage these precious objects during sampling. Here, we describe a minimal sampling method that identifies collagen, taxonomy and post-translational modifications from Holocene and Upper Pleistocene bones dated to 130,000 and 5,000 years ago using dermatological skin tape-discs for sampling. The sampled bone micro-powder were digested following our highly optimized eFASP protocol, then analyzed by MALDI FTICR MS and LC-MS/MS for identifying the genus taxa of the bones. We show that this low-invasive sampling does not deteriorate the bones and achieves results similar to those obtained by destructive sampling. Moreover, this sampling method can be performed at archaeological sites or in museums.
Project description:Use of tape stripping for the collection of stratum corneum is a versatile and reliable procedure for the evaluation of the human skin health, including assessments of the skin barrier function, microbial content, and disease biomarkers. The tape stripping procedure is widely referenced; however, the number and type of tapes required for sample collection vary considerably, and the lack of standardized sampling, processing and normalization protocols complicate data comparison and interpretation. We have compared the performances of two commonly used non-invasive skin sampling platforms by collecting skin tissue from 34 healthy volunteers and applying standardization throughout the workflow, from sampling to data analysis. Our results showed significant differences in the amounts of tissue collected per tape, erythema levels, RNA and protein yields. RNA extracts from both platforms were suitable for sequencing; comparable input and quality of reads were produced for both test groups, however significant differences were found in the percentage of uniquely mapped reads and detected genes. This data highlights processing optimization as an important step in maximizing the efficiency of biomolecule extraction from tape strips and further presents a tape stripping method suitable for fast, efficient, and non-invasive epidermal tissue collection applicable to skin biomarker discovery.
Project description:Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd most prevalent cause of cancer related deaths in United states alone, with over 55000 patients being diagnosed in 2019 alone and nearly as many succumbing to it. Late detection, lack of effective therapy and poor understanding of pancreatic cancer systemically contributes to its poor survival statistics. Obesity and high caloric intake linked co-morbidities like type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been attributed as being risk factors for a number of cancers including pancreatic cancer. Studies on gut microbiome has shown that lifestyle factors as well as diet has a huge effect on the microbial flora of the gut. Further, modulation of gut microbiome has been seen to contribute to effects of intensive insulin therapy in mice on high fat diet. In another study, abnormal gut microbiota was reported to contribute to development of diabetes in Db/Db mice. Recent studies indicate that microbiome and microbial dysbiosis plays a role in not only the onset of disease but also in its outcome. In colorectal cancer, Fusobacterium has been reported to promote therapy resistance. Certain intra-tumoral bacteria have also been shown to elicit chemo-resistance by metabolizing anti-cancerous agents. In pancreatic cancer, studies on altered gut microbiome have been relatively recent. Microbial dysbiosis has been observed to be associated with pancreatic tumor progression. Modulation of microbiome has been shown to affect response to anti-PD1 therapy in this disease as well. However, most of the studies in pancreatic cancer and microbiome have remained focused om immune modulation. In the current study, we observed that in a T2D mouse model, the microbiome changed significantly as the hyperglycemia developed in these animals. Our results further showed that, tumors implanted in the T2D mice responded poorly to Gemcitabine/Paclitaxel (Gem/Pac) standard of care compared to those in the control group. A metabolomic reconstruction of the WGS of the gut microbiota further revealed that an enrichment of bacterial population involved in drug metabolism in the T2D group.
