Jacob S. Baker, Evan Qu, Christopher P. Mancuso, A. Delphine Tripp, Arolyn Conwill, Tami D. Lieberman
{"title":"Intraspecies dynamics underlie the apparent stability of two important skin microbiome species","authors":"Jacob S. Baker, Evan Qu, Christopher P. Mancuso, A. Delphine Tripp, Arolyn Conwill, Tami D. Lieberman","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.010","url":null,"abstract":"Adult human facial skin microbiomes are remarkably similar at the species level, dominated by <em>Cutibacterium acnes</em> and <em>Staphylococcus epidermidis</em>, yet each person harbors a unique community of strains. Understanding how person-specific communities assemble is critical for designing microbiome-based therapies. Here, using 4,055 isolate genomes and 356 metagenomes, we reconstruct on-person evolutionary history to reveal on- and between-person strain dynamics. We find that multiple cells are typically involved in transmission, indicating ample opportunity for migration. Despite this accessibility, family members share only some of their strains. <em>S. epidermidis</em> communities are dynamic, with each strain persisting for an average of only 2 years. <em>C. acnes</em> strains are more stable and have a higher colonization rate during the transition to an adult facial skin microbiome, suggesting this window could facilitate engraftment of therapeutic strains. These previously undetectable dynamics may influence the design of microbiome therapeutics and motivate the study of their effects on hosts.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kristie B. Yu, Franciscus Chandra, Elena J. Coley-O’Rourke, Erik T. Paulson, Anna Novoselov, David Zhang, Delanie Finnigan, Jorge Paramo, Arlene Lopez-Romero, Tien S. Dong, Amina T. Schartup, Elaine Y. Hsiao
{"title":"An engineered gut bacterium protects against dietary methylmercury exposure in pregnant mice","authors":"Kristie B. Yu, Franciscus Chandra, Elena J. Coley-O’Rourke, Erik T. Paulson, Anna Novoselov, David Zhang, Delanie Finnigan, Jorge Paramo, Arlene Lopez-Romero, Tien S. Dong, Amina T. Schartup, Elaine Y. Hsiao","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"Despite efforts to decrease mercury emissions, chronic exposure to the neurotoxicant methylmercury (MeHg) continues to be a global problem that contributes to disparities in risk for neurological and metabolic diseases. Herein we engineer a human commensal gut bacterium, <em>Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron</em> (<em>Bt</em>), to detoxify MeHg by heterologous expression of organomercury lyase (MerB) and mercuric reductase (MerA) genes derived from a resistant bacterium isolated from Hg-polluted mines. We demonstrate that <em>Bt</em><sup><em>merA/B</em></sup> demethylates MeHg both <em>in vitro</em> and within the intestines of mice orally exposed to MeHg or diets containing MeHg-rich fish. In pregnant mice exposed to dietary MeHg, <em>Bt</em><sup><em>merA/B</em></sup> decreases MeHg accumulation in the maternal liver, brain, placenta, and fetal brain, and attenuates the expression of cellular stress genes in the fetal brain. Overall, this work provides foundational proof-of-principle supporting the ability of an engineered gut bacterium to limit MeHg bioaccumulation and reduce adverse effects of chronic MeHg exposure.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"104 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An interplay between human genetics and intratumoral microbiota in the progression of colorectal cancer","authors":"Jing Yu, Yuxuan Liang, Qingrong Zhang, Hui Ding, Minghao Xie, Jingjing Zhang, Wenyan Hu, Sihua Xu, Yiyuan Xiao, Sha Xu, Rong Na, Baixing Wu, Jiaming Zhou, Haitao Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"Intratumoral microbiota plays a crucial role in cancer progression. However, the relationship between host genetics and intratumoral microbiota, as well as their interaction in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, remains unclear. With 748 Chinese CRC patients enrolled from three cohorts, we find that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2355016, located in the intron of ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium channel 11 (<em>KCNJ11</em>), is significantly associated with the abundance of <em>Fusobacterium</em>. Compared with the rs2355016 GG genotype, patients carrying the A allele exhibit downregulation of KCNJ11 and enrichment of <em>Fusobacterium</em>, which corresponds to accelerated proliferation and progression. Low expression of KCNJ11 can increase the level of galactose-N-acetyl-d-galactosamine (Gal-GalNAc) on the surface of CRC cells, thereby facilitating the binding of the Fap2 protein from <em>F. nucleatum</em> to Gal-GalNAc. This further enhances the adhesion and invasion of <em>F. nucleatum</em> and promotes CRC growth. Our study explores the interaction between intratumoral microbiota and SNPs in CRC patients, which will enhance our understanding of CRC proliferation.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"81 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiayan Pan, Yang Yue, Fengjuan Zhao, Tianqiao Song, Boting Xu, Zhi Li, Zhongqiang Qi, Junjie Yu, Huijuan Cao, Mina Yu, Qirong Shen, Jinrong Xu, Wu Xiong, Yongfeng Liu
{"title":"Rhizosphere microbes facilitate the break of chlamydospore dormancy and root colonization of rice false smut fungi","authors":"Xiayan Pan, Yang Yue, Fengjuan Zhao, Tianqiao Song, Boting Xu, Zhi Li, Zhongqiang Qi, Junjie Yu, Huijuan Cao, Mina Yu, Qirong Shen, Jinrong Xu, Wu Xiong, Yongfeng Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"Dormant chlamydospore germination of fungal pathogens directly affects disease occurrence and severity. The rice false smut (RFS) fungus <em>Ustilaginoidea virens</em> produces abundant chlamydospores, but their germination process and roles in plant infection remain unclear. Here, we found that soil-borne chlamydospores are a major source of <em>U. virens</em> inoculum and impact RFS development. Rhizosphere microbiome analysis of high-susceptibility (HS) and low-susceptibility (LS) rice varieties revealed that HS varieties recruited bacteria from the Sphingomonadaceae family, thereby facilitating the breakdown of chlamydospore dormancy through secreted exopolysaccharides. Hyphae formed by germinating chlamydospores grew on the root surfaces, invaded the root cortex, and grew intercellularly, potentially spreading further to aboveground plant parts. Furthermore, field experiments confirmed that treating the root with 30% prothioconazole and 20% zinc thiazole effectively reduced RFS incidence. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of chlamydospore germination in natural environments and inform strategies for disease control.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elena Rodrigues, Mitchell A. Pallett, Lorian C. Straker, Tapoka T. Mkandawire, Katarzyna Sala, Lucy Collinson, Adam Sateriale
{"title":"Cryptosporidium modifies intestinal microvilli through an exported virulence factor","authors":"Elena Rodrigues, Mitchell A. Pallett, Lorian C. Straker, Tapoka T. Mkandawire, Katarzyna Sala, Lucy Collinson, Adam Sateriale","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<em>Cryptosporidium</em> is a common intestinal infection of vertebrates and a significant threat to public health. Within the epithelial layer of the intestine, the parasite invades and replicates. Infected cells are readily detected under a microscope by the presence of elongated microvilli, particularly around the vacuole where the parasite resides. Here, we identify a family of <em>Cryptosporidium</em> virulence factors that are exported into the host cell during infection and localize to the microvilli. We examine the trafficking and function of the most highly expressed family member, Microvilli protein 1 (MVP1<u>)</u>, which appears to control the elongation of microvilli through engagement of host EBP50 and CDC42. Remarkably, this mechanism closely mirrors that of an enteropathogenic <em>Escherichia coli</em> virulence factor, MAP, which is also known to drive host microvilli elongation during infection. This highlights a unique instance where eukaryotic and prokaryotic virulence factors have convergently evolved to modulate host actin structures through a similar mechanism.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"272 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143880757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hollyn C. Franklin, Rita Makhlouf, Anh D. Ha, Rogerio A. Bataglioli, Zachary R. Baker, Sydney A. Murphy, Hannah Jirsa, Joshua Heuler, Teresa Southard, Frank O. Aylward, Bryan B. Hsu
{"title":"A bacteriophage-conditional mouse model reveals the impact of phages within a conventionally colonized gut microbiota","authors":"Hollyn C. Franklin, Rita Makhlouf, Anh D. Ha, Rogerio A. Bataglioli, Zachary R. Baker, Sydney A. Murphy, Hannah Jirsa, Joshua Heuler, Teresa Southard, Frank O. Aylward, Bryan B. Hsu","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"The significance of bacteriophages in the gut microbiota remains poorly understood due, in part, to an absence of an animal model that allows for comparative study of conditions with or without phages while retaining the microbial diversity attained by conventional colonization. We describe a mouse model that uses a broadly available chemical compound, acriflavine, to preferentially deplete virulent phages from the gut without significantly impacting gut bacteria. We then show that gut phage density can be reconstituted by oral gavage. Using this bacteriophage-conditional (BaCon) mouse model, we reveal that while phages have comparatively minimal impact during equilibrium conditions, they increase the potency of ampicillin against commensal gut bacteria. Collectively, our work presents an animal model that can be leveraged to conditionally study the role of phages in complex, physiologically relevant systems and further identifies virulent gut phages as potential sources of bacterial variability during major perturbations.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143880756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yupeng Feng, Sanne E. de Jong, Ana Paula B.N. Oliveira, Hady Samaha, Fan Yang, Mengyun Hu, Yanli Wang, Nour Beydoun, Xia Xie, Haibo Zhang, Dmitri Kazmin, Zhuoqing Fang, Jun Zou, Andrew T. Gewirtz, Scott D. Boyd, Thomas Hagan, Nadine Rouphael, Bali Pulendran
{"title":"Antibiotic-induced gut microbiome perturbation alters the immune responses to the rabies vaccine","authors":"Yupeng Feng, Sanne E. de Jong, Ana Paula B.N. Oliveira, Hady Samaha, Fan Yang, Mengyun Hu, Yanli Wang, Nour Beydoun, Xia Xie, Haibo Zhang, Dmitri Kazmin, Zhuoqing Fang, Jun Zou, Andrew T. Gewirtz, Scott D. Boyd, Thomas Hagan, Nadine Rouphael, Bali Pulendran","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.015","url":null,"abstract":"The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in modulating human immunity. Previously, we reported that antibiotic-induced microbiome perturbation affects influenza vaccine responses, depending on pre-existing immunity levels. Here, we employed a systems biology approach to analyze the impact of antibiotic administration on both primary and secondary immune responses to the rabies vaccine in humans. Antibiotic administration reduced the gut bacterial load, with a long-lasting reduction in commensal diversity. This alteration was associated with reduced rabies-specific humoral responses. Multi-omics profiling revealed that antibiotic administration induced (1) an enhanced pro-inflammatory signature early after vaccination, (2) a shift in the balance of vaccine-specific T-helper 1 (Th1) to T-follicular-helper response toward Th1 phenotype, and (3) profound alterations in metabolites, particularly in secondary bile acids in the blood. By integrating multi-omics datasets, we generated a multiscale, multi-response network that revealed key regulatory nodes, including the microbiota, secondary bile acids, and humoral immunity to vaccination.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143846642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pingmei Huang, Fenfen Ji, Alvin Ho-Kwan Cheung, Kaili Fu, Qiming Zhou, Xiao Ding, Danyu Chen, Yufeng Lin, Luyao Wang, Ying Jiao, Eagle S.H. Chu, Wei Kang, Ka Fai To, Jun Yu, Chi Chun Wong
{"title":"Peptostreptococcus stomatis promotes colonic tumorigenesis and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance by activating ERBB2-MAPK","authors":"Pingmei Huang, Fenfen Ji, Alvin Ho-Kwan Cheung, Kaili Fu, Qiming Zhou, Xiao Ding, Danyu Chen, Yufeng Lin, Luyao Wang, Ying Jiao, Eagle S.H. Chu, Wei Kang, Ka Fai To, Jun Yu, Chi Chun Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"No Abstract","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143832151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interferoning with Plasmodium development in the liver","authors":"Justin A. Boddey, Friedrich Frischknecht","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.007","url":null,"abstract":"<em>Plasmodium</em> liver infection is limited by type I interferons (IFN-I) but the mechanisms remain unknown. In this issue of <em>Cell Host & Microbe</em>, Marques-da-Silva et al. reveal two IFN-I-induced pathways that trigger the fusion of lysosomes with, and the disruption of, the membranes surrounding the parasites, leading to their clearance.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yufeng Lin, Harry Cheuk-Hay Lau, Chuanfa Liu, Xiao Ding, Yang Sun, Jiamei Rong, Xiang Zhang, Luyao Wang, Kai Yuan, Yinglei Miao, William Ka-Kei Wu, Sunny Hei Wong, Joseph Jao-Yiu Sung, Jun Yu
{"title":"Multi-cohort analysis reveals colorectal cancer tumor location-associated fecal microbiota and their clinical impact","authors":"Yufeng Lin, Harry Cheuk-Hay Lau, Chuanfa Liu, Xiao Ding, Yang Sun, Jiamei Rong, Xiang Zhang, Luyao Wang, Kai Yuan, Yinglei Miao, William Ka-Kei Wu, Sunny Hei Wong, Joseph Jao-Yiu Sung, Jun Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.012","url":null,"abstract":"Microbial alterations in different tumor locations of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. Here, 1,375 fecal metagenomes from six in-house and published datasets were analyzed, including 128 right-sided CRC (rCRC), 168 left-sided CRC (lCRC), 250 rectal cancer (RC), and 829 controls. Firmicutes progressively increase from rCRC, lCRC, to RC, in contrast to the gradual decrease of Bacteroidetes. Tumor location-associated fecal microbes are identified, including <em>Veillonella parvula</em> for rCRC, <em>Streptococcus angionosus</em> for lCRC, and <em>Peptostreptococcus anaerobius</em> for RC, while <em>Fusobacterium nucleatum</em> is enriched in all tumor locations. Tumor location-associated bacteria correlate with patient survival. Clinically, we establish a microbial biomarker panel for each tumor location that accurately diagnoses rCRC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 91.59%), lCRC (AUC = 91.69%), or RC (AUC = 90.53%) from controls. Tumor location-specific biomarkers also have higher diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 91.38%) than location-non-specific biomarkers (AUC = 82.92%). Overall, we characterize fecal microbes associated with different CRC tumor locations, highlighting that tumor location should be considered in non-invasive diagnosis.","PeriodicalId":9693,"journal":{"name":"Cell host & microbe","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}