Project description:Gut microbiome research is rapidly moving towards the functional characterization of the microbiota by means of shotgun meta-omics. Here, we selected a cohort of healthy subjects from an indigenous and monitored Sardinian population to analyze their gut microbiota using both shotgun metagenomics and shotgun metaproteomics. We found a considerable divergence between genetic potential and functional activity of the human healthy gut microbiota, in spite of a quite comparable taxonomic structure revealed by the two approaches. Investigation of inter-individual variability of taxonomic features revealed Bacteroides and Akkermansia as remarkably conserved and variable in abundance within the population, respectively. Firmicutes-driven butyrogenesis (mainly due to Faecalibacterium spp.) was shown to be the functional activity with the higher expression rate and the lower inter-individual variability in the study cohort, highlighting the key importance of the biosynthesis of this microbial by-product for the gut homeostasis. The taxon-specific contribution to functional activities and metabolic tasks was also examined, giving insights into the peculiar role of several gut microbiota members in carbohydrate metabolism (including polysaccharide degradation, glycan transport, glycolysis and short-chain fatty acid production). In conclusion, our results provide useful indications regarding the main functions actively exerted by the gut microbiota members of a healthy human cohort, and support metaproteomics as a valuable approach to investigate the functional role of the gut microbiota in health and disease.
Project description:Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of hospitalistion and is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Neutrophils from CAP donors display altered functions, and these altered functions are associated with adverse outcomes. We undertook an oberservational study of CAP in frail older adults and age matched controls to determine drivers of neutrophil dysfunction.
Project description:Comparison of genome-wide gene expression between humans living in areas of high levels of air pollution and less polluted areas. Experiment Overall Design: The study investigated differential gene expression in peripheral blood from 23 children and 12 adults from a region of residence with high levels of air pollution as compared to 24 children and 12 adults from a less-polluted area.Two conditions: living in the polluted or in the less-polluted area. One individual per array, hybridized against a common reference sample
Project description:Comparison of gene expression profiles of Caenorhabditis elegans fed a complex microbiota (either a synthetic community or in soil) or a standard Escherichia coli diet. We find that immune and digestion genes are up-regulated in C. elegans that were fed a complex microbiota.
Project description:This concerns a cross-sectional cohort study of 356 Dutch community-dwelling older adults to study the association of the oral microbiota with poor taste, poor smell, poor appetite and undernutrition. Data-collection consisted of body measurements (incl. body weight, height, and body impedance analysis), extensive appetite and food frequency questionnaires, taste and smell tests, and a tongue swab. The oral microbiota composition was assessed with 16S rRNA sequencing.