TY - JOUR
T1 - A metagenomic strategy for harnessing the chemical repertoire of the human microbiome
AU - Sugimoto, Yuki
AU - Camacho, Francine R.
AU - Wang, Shuo
AU - Chankhamjon, Pranatchareeya
AU - Odabas, Arman
AU - Biswas, Abhishek
AU - Jeffrey, Philip D.
AU - Donia, Mohamed S.
PY - 2019/12/13
Y1 - 2019/12/13
N2 - Extensive progress has been made in determining the effects of the microbiome on human physiology and disease, but the underlying molecules and mechanisms governing these effects remain largely unexplored. Here, we combine a new computational algorithm with synthetic biology to access biologically active small molecules encoded directly in human microbiome–derived metagenomic sequencing data. We discover that members of a clinically used class of molecules are widely encoded in the human microbiome and that they exert potent antibacterial activities against neighboring microbes, implying a possible role in niche competition and host defense. Our approach paves the way toward a systematic unveiling of the chemical repertoire encoded by the human microbiome and provides a generalizable platform for discovering molecular mediators of microbiome-host and microbiome-microbiome interactions.
AB - Extensive progress has been made in determining the effects of the microbiome on human physiology and disease, but the underlying molecules and mechanisms governing these effects remain largely unexplored. Here, we combine a new computational algorithm with synthetic biology to access biologically active small molecules encoded directly in human microbiome–derived metagenomic sequencing data. We discover that members of a clinically used class of molecules are widely encoded in the human microbiome and that they exert potent antibacterial activities against neighboring microbes, implying a possible role in niche competition and host defense. Our approach paves the way toward a systematic unveiling of the chemical repertoire encoded by the human microbiome and provides a generalizable platform for discovering molecular mediators of microbiome-host and microbiome-microbiome interactions.
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U2 - 10.1126/science.aax9176
DO - 10.1126/science.aax9176
M3 - Article
C2 - 31582523
AN - SCOPUS:85075953759
VL - 366
JO - Science
JF - Science
SN - 0036-8075
IS - 6471
M1 - 1332
ER -