Project description:EMG produced TPA metagenomics assembly of PRJNA834801 data set (Characterizing dysbiosis of the Parkinson's disease gut microbiome using shotgun metagenomics).
Project description:Aging is associated with declining immunity and inflammation as well as alterations in the gut microbiome with a decrease of beneficial microbes and increase in pathogenic ones. The aim of this study was to investigate aging associated gut microbiome in relation to immunologic and metabolic profile in a non-human primate (NHP) model. 12 old (age>18 years) and 4 young (age 3-6 years) Rhesus macaques were included in this study. Immune cell subsets were characterized in PBMC by flow cytometry and plasma cytokines levels were determined by bead based multiplex cytokine analysis. Stool samples were collected by ileal loop and investigated for microbiome analysis by shotgun metagenomics. Serum, gut microbial lysate and microbe-free fecal extract were subjected to metabolomic analysis by mass-spectrometry. Our results showed that the old animals exhibited higher inflammatory biomarkers in plasma and lower CD4 T cells with altered distribution of naïve and memory T cell maturation subsets. The gut microbiome in old animals had higher abundance of Archaeal and Proteobacterial species and lower Firmicutes than the young. Significant enrichment of metabolites that contribute to inflammatory and cytotoxic pathways was observed in serum and feces of old animals compared to the young. We conclude that aging NHP undergo immunosenescence and age associated alterations in the gut microbiome that has a distinct metabolic profile.
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.
Project description:Morphine and its pharmacological derivatives are the most prescribed analgesics for moderate to severe pain management. However, chronic use of morphine reduces pathogen clearance and induces bacterial translocation across the gut barrier. The enteric microbiome has been shown to play a critical role in the preservation of the mucosal barrier function and metabolic homeostasis. Here, we show for the first time, using bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing, that chronic morphine treatment significantly alters the gut microbial composition and induces preferential expansion of the gram-positive pathogenic and reduction of bile-deconjugating bacterial strains. A significant reduction in both primary and secondary bile acid levels was seen in the gut, but not in the liver with morphine treatment. Morphine induced microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier disruption was rescued by transplanting placebo-treated microbiota into morphine-treated animals, indicating that microbiome modulation could be exploited as a therapeutic strategy for patients using morphine for pain management. In this study, we establish a link between the two phenomena, namely gut barrier compromise and dysregulated bile acid metabolism. We show for the first time that morphine fosters significant gut microbial dysbiosis and disrupts cholesterol/bile acid metabolism. Changes in the gut microbial composition is strongly correlated to disruption in host inflammatory homeostasis13,14 and in many diseases (e.g. cancer/HIV infection), persistent inflammation is known to aid and promote the progression of the primary morbidity. We show here that chronic morphine, gut microbial dysbiosis, disruption of cholesterol/bile acid metabolism and gut inflammation; have a linear correlation. This opens up the prospect of devising minimally invasive adjunct treatment strategies involving microbiome and bile acid modulation and thus bringing down morphine-mediated inflammation in the host.
Project description:Background and Aims: The impact of cigarette smoke on inflammatory bowel disease has been established by a large number of epidemiological, clinical, and preclinical studies. Exposure to cigarette smoke is associated with a higher risk of developing Crohn’s disease but is inversely correlated with the development, disease risks, progression, and relapse rate of ulcerative colitis. Few mechanistic studies have investigated the effect of cigarette smoke on intestinal inflammation and microbial composition. Methods: Three groups of mice were exposed to three different concentrations of cigarette smoke for a total of 4 weeks, including 5 days of dextran sulfate sodium treatment to induce colitis and a 7-day recovery period. A comprehensive and integrated comparative analysis of the global colon transcriptome and microbiome, as well as classical endpoints, was performed. Results: Cigarette smoke exposure significantly decreased the severity induced colitis. Colon transcriptome analysis revealed that cigarette smoke downregulated specific pathways in a concentration-dependent manner, affecting both the inflammatory state and composition of the gut microbiome. Metagenomics analysis demonstrated that cigarette smoke can modulate dextran sulfate sodium-induced dysbiosis of specific bacterial genera, contributing to resolve the inflammation or accelerate recovery. Conclusions: Cigarette smoke alters gut microbial composition and reduces inflammatory responses in a concentration-dependent manner. The present study lays the foundation for investigating potential molecular mechanisms responsible for the attenuation of colitis by cigarette smoke.
Project description:Microbiota dysbiosis and mucosa-associated bacteria are involved in colorectal cancer progression. We hypothesized that a time-specific interaction between dysbiotic pathobionts and host responses promote tumor growth. This study aimed to elucidate the dysfunctional host-microbe interplay in colon tumorigenesis by using a time-series metagenomics approach. A transient surge in fecal microbial richness was linked to a unique transcriptome profile in the mouse colon during carcinoma transformation. Monitoring gut microbiome may help identifying the window-of-opportunity to induce tumor regression using bacteria-targeted precision medicine.
Project description:Microbiota dysbiosis and mucosa-associated bacteria are involved in colorectal cancer progression. We hypothesized that a time-specific interaction between dysbiotic pathobionts and host responses promote tumor growth. This study aimed to elucidate the dysfunctional host-microbe interplay in colon tumorigenesis by using a time-series metagenomics approach. A transient surge in fecal microbial richness was linked to a unique transcriptome profile in the mouse colon during carcinoma transformation. Monitoring gut microbiome may help identifying the window-of-opportunity to induce tumor regression using bacteria-targeted precision medicine.
Project description:Opioid analgesics are frequently prescribed in the United States and worldwide. However, serious side effects such as addiction, immunosuppression and gastrointestinal symptoms limit long term use. In the current study using a chronic morphine-murine model a longitudinal approach was undertaken to investigate the role of morphine modulation of gut microbiome as a mechanism contributing to the negative consequences associated with opioids use. The results revealed a significant shift in the gut microbiome and metabolome within 24 hours following morphine treatment when compared to placebo. Morphine induced gut microbial dysbiosis exhibited distinct characteristic signatures profiles including significant increase in communities associated with pathogenic function, decrease in communities associated with stress tolerance. Collectively, these results reveal opioids-induced distinct alteration of gut microbiome, may contribute to opioids-induced pathogenesis. Therapeutics directed at these targets may prolong the efficacy long term opioid use with fewer side effects.
Project description:HIV is known to severely affect the gastrointestinal immune system, in particular compartments of immunity that regulate gut microbial composition. Furthermore, recent studies in mice have shown that dysregulation of the gut microbiome can contribute to chronic inflammation, which is a hallmark of HIV and is thought to fuel disease progression. We sought to understand whether the gut microbial community differs in HIV-infected subjects, and whether such putative differences are associated with disease progression. We found that dysbiosis in the gut mucosally-adherent bacterial community associates with markers of chronic inflammation and disease progression in HIV-infected subjects, and this dysbiosis remains in many subjects undergiong antiretroviral therapy. We used G3 PhyloChip microarrays (commercially available from Second Genome, Inc.) to profile gut bacteria in rectosigmoid biopsies from 32 subjects: 6 HIV-infected viremic untreated (VU), 18 HIV-infected subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 1 HIV-infected long-term non-progressor that is untreated (LTNP), and 9 HIV-uninfected subjects (HIV-).