The gut microbiome is a complex, interconnected ecosystem of species. And, like any ecosystem, some organisms are predators and some are prey. A new study published in Cell Host & Microbe investigates the impact of bacteriophage, viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They find that phage can have a profound impact on the dynamics of the gut microbiome, not only affecting certain species directly but also having a cascading effect on others. Phage may also be impacting their human host by modulating metabolites, including chemical substances found in the brain.
The co-corresponding senior author said "Some people are exploring phage therapy, using phage to kill off microbes, but phage are also found naturally in the gut, co-existing with the rest of the ecosystem. We wanted to find out what they are doing in there."
To address this question, the team colonized the guts of mice with a defined set of human bacterial species and then added phages, tracking the growth of each microbe. Using high-throughput sequencing and computational analyses, the team found that the phage caused attritions of the species they preyed upon as expected, but with a rippling effect on the rest of the ecosystem including blooms of non-targeted species.
In addition to looking at the effects on microbes, the team also looked for effects on the metabolome -- chemical substances that can come from both the host and the bacteria present. They found that when they modulated the microbiome with phage, they could see targeted changes in the metabolome, including changes in neurotransmitter levels and bile acids.
"This finding fascinates me for followup and raises significant questions: Could we use phage to modulate these activities? Could this be an intervention for conditions, such as depression, where you'd want to change neurotransmitter levels?" said the co-senior author. "Even if they aren't used as a direct therapeutic, our study suggests that phage may be a good tool for understanding the potential effects of other therapeutics that alter the microbiome.".
https://www.brighamandwomens.org/about-bwh/newsroom/press-releases-detail?id=3338
https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(19)30246-X
How bacteria's predators can shape the gut microbiome
- 2,139 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
How protein synthesis in de…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Atlas of mRNA variants in d…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Mapping microbiome in metas…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Full-length mRNA packaged i…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Glucose-sensing mechanism t…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Apr
Other Top Stories
A link between childhood stress and early molars
Read more
Omega-6 fatty acid-enriched western diet induces reversible periphe…
Read more
What is Thanatosis?
Read more
Dietary fatty acids and migraine
Read more
How hunger boosts learning about food in mice
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Neuronal activity rapidly r…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
A perspective on muscle phe…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Foxp1 suppresses cortical a…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Single-cell long-read seque…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Unlocking potential: the ro…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar