Early-life upper airway microbiota are associated with decreased lower respiratory tract infections.

Background: Microbial interactions mediating colonization resistance play key roles within the human microbiome, shaping susceptibility to infection from birth. The role of the nasal and oral microbiome in the context of early life respiratory infections and subsequent allergic disease risk remains understudied.

Objectives: Our aim was to gain insight into microbiome-mediated defenses and respiratory pathogen colonization dynamics within the upper respiratory tract during infancy.

Farm exposure is associated with human breast milk immune profile and microbiome.

Prenatal and early life farm exposure, and breastfeeding, are associated with protection from allergic diseases. We hypothesize that farm exposure influences the human breast milk microbiome and immune proteins. The immune protein profiles and microbial communities of 152 human breast milk samples were compared among three maternal farm exposure groups (traditional agrarian, farm, and non-farm) in rural Wisconsin to identify signatures associated with farm status and atopic disease.

Upper respiratory microbial communities of healthy populations are shaped by niche and age.

Background: Alterations in upper respiratory microbiomes have been implicated in shaping host health trajectories, including by limiting mucosal pathogen colonization. However, limited comparative studies of respiratory microbiome development and functioning across age groups have been performed. Herein, we perform shotgun metagenomic sequencing paired with pathogen inhibition assays to elucidate differences in nasal and oral microbiome composition and intermicrobial interactions across healthy 24-month-old infant (n = 229) and adult (n = 100) populations.

Altered oral microbiota of drug-resistant organism carriers exhibit impaired gram-negative pathogen inhibition.

The oral microbiome has been understudied as a reservoir for clinical pathogens, including drug-resistant strains. Understanding how alterations in microbiome functioning render this site vulnerable to colonization is essential, as multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) carriage is a major risk factor for developing serious infections. To advance our knowledge of oral MDRO carriage and protection against pathogen colonization conferred by native microbiota, we examined microbiomes from individuals colonized by MDROs (n=33) and non-colonized age-matched controls (n=30).

Upper respiratory microbial communities of healthy populations are shaped by niche and age.

Background: Alterations in upper respiratory microbiomes have been implicated in shaping host health trajectories, including by limiting mucosal pathogen colonization. However, limited comparative studies of respiratory microbiome development and functioning across age groups have been performed. Herein, we perform shotgun metagenomic sequencing paired with pathogen inhibition assays to elucidate differences in nasal and oral microbiome composition and functioning across healthy 24-month-old infant (n=229) and adult (n=100) populations.

Evolutionary investigations of the biosynthetic diversity in the skin microbiome using BGC.

Bacterial secondary metabolites, synthesized by enzymes encoded in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), can underlie microbiome homeostasis and serve as commercialized products, which have historically been mined from a select group of taxa. While evolutionary approaches have proven beneficial for prioritizing BGCs for experimental characterization efforts to uncover new natural products, dedicated bioinformatics tools designed for comparative and evolutionary analysis of BGCs within focal taxa are limited. We thus developed ineage pecific nalysis of BGCs (BGC; https://github.

Sweat and Sebum Preferences of the Human Skin Microbiota.

The microorganisms inhabiting human skin must overcome numerous challenges that typically impede microbial growth, including low pH, osmotic pressure, and low nutrient availability. Yet the skin microbiota thrive on the skin and have adapted to these stressful conditions. The limited nutrients available for microbial use in this unique niche include those from host-derived sweat, sebum, and corneocytes.

Comparative Genomic and Metagenomic Investigations of the Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum Species Complex Reveals Potential Mechanisms Underlying Associations To Skin Health and Disease.

are a diverse genus and dominant member of the human skin microbiome. Recently, we reported that the most prevalent species found on skin, including Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum and , comprise a narrow species complex despite the diversity of the genus. Here, we apply high-resolution phylogenomics and comparative genomics to describe the structure of the species complex and highlight genetic traits which are enriched or depleted in it relative to other .

Cobamide Sharing Is Predicted in the Human Skin Microbiome.

The skin microbiome is a key player in human health, with diverse functions ranging from defense against pathogens to education of the immune system. While recent studies have begun to shed light on the valuable role that skin microorganisms have in maintaining the skin barrier, a detailed understanding of the complex interactions that shape healthy skin microbial communities is limited. Cobamides, the vitamin B class of cofactor, are essential for organisms across the tree of life.

Two-for-one: Dual host-microbe functions of S. epidermidis Sph.

The skin microbiome is essential for skin function, yet the mechanisms responsible are only beginning to be uncovered. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Zheng et al. demonstrate that a Staphylococcus epidermidis sphingomyelinase has a mutually beneficial role in supporting the skin barrier and promoting S.

Living in Your Skin: Microbes, Molecules, and Mechanisms.

Human skin functions as a physical, chemical, and immune barrier against the external environment while also providing a protective niche for its resident microbiota, known as the skin microbiome. Cooperation between the microbiota, host skin cells, and the immune system is responsible for maintenance of skin health, and a disruption to this delicate balance, such as by pathogen invasion or a breach in the skin barrier, may lead to impaired skin function. In this minireview, we describe the role of the microbiome in microbe, host, and immune interactions under distinct skin states, including homeostasis, tissue repair, and wound infection.

Prognostic significance of USP33 in advanced colorectal cancer patients: new insights into β-arrestin-dependent ERK signaling.

Patients with liver metastases of colorectal cancer (CRCLM) have a poorer prognosis compared to colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in local stage. Evaluating the recurrence and overall survival of advanced patients is critical in improving disease treatment and clinical outcome. Here we investigated the expression pattern of USP33, a deubiquitinating enzyme, in both primary CRC tissues and liver metastases tissues.