Project description:Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder for which a definitive cure is still missing. This is characterized by an overwhelming inflammatory milieu in the colonic tract where a composite set of immune and non-immune cells orchestrate its pathogenesis. Over the last years, a growing body of evidence has been pinpointing gut virome dysbiosis as underlying its progression. Nonetheless, its role during the early phases of chronic inflammation is far from being fully defined. Here we show the gut virome-associated Hepatitis B virus protein X, most likely acquired after an event of zoonotic spillover, to be associated with the early stages of ulcerative colitis and to induce colonic inflammation in mice. It acts as a transcriptional regulator in epithelial cells, provoking barrier leakage and altering mucosal immunity at the level of both innate and adaptive immunity. This study paves the way to the comprehension of the aetiopathogenesis of intestinal inflammation and encourages further investigations of the virome as a trigger also in other scenarios. Moreover, it provides a brand-new standpoint that looks at the virome as a target for tailored treatments, blocking the early phases of chronic inflammation and possibly leading to better disease management.
Project description:Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are highly diverse complex carbohydrates secreted in human milk. HMOs are indigestible by the infant and instead are metabolized by bifidobacteria in the infant gut microbiome to produce molecules that promote infant health and development. 2´fucosyllactose (2´FL) is an abundant HMO and is utilized by Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, a predominant member of the infant gut microbiome. Currently, there is not a scientific consensus on how or if bifidobacteria metabolize the fucose portion of 2´FL or free fucose. This proteomic analysis was conducted in order to characterize the metabolic pathway by which B. infantis utilizes fucose.
Project description:Given the gut microbiota involve aging processing, we performed comparative analysis of gut bacteriophage between older and young subjects using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In our previous study, we found that the Ruminococcaceae is higher in aged subjects comparing to young one. To identify the bacteriophage targeting to the Ruminococcaceae, we also access the composition of phage in the Ruminococcaceae (ATCC, TSD-27) after incubated with human stool samples. The Lactobacillus (ATCC, LGG) targeting phage was used as the control. The virome sequencing analysis using NGS indicated that Myoviridae are high enrich in young subjects and predominate in TSD-27 targeting phage.
Project description:The gastrointestinal ecosystem is a highly complex environment with a profound influence on human health. Inflammation in the gut, linked to an altered gut microbiome has been associated with the development of multiple human conditions including type 1 diabetes (T1D). Viruses infecting the gastrointestinal tract, especially enteroviruses, are also thought to play an important role in T1D pathogenesis possibly via overlapping mechanisms. Here, we apply an integrative approach to combine comprehensive faecal virome, microbiome and metaproteome data sampled before and at the onset of islet autoimmunity in 40 children. We show strong age and antibody related effects across the datasets. Mastadenovirus infection was associated with profound functional changes in the faecal metaproteome. Multiomic factor analysis modelling revealed proteins associated with carbohydrate transport from the genus Faecalibacterium were associated with islet autoimmunity. These findings demonstrate functional remodelling of the gut microbiota accompanies both islet autoimmunity and viral infection.
Project description:Microbiota assembly in the infant gut is influenced by time and duration of dietary exposure to breast-milk, infant formula and solid foods.