microbeMASST: a taxonomically informed mass spectrometry search tool for microbial metabolomics data.

microbeMASST, a taxonomically informed mass spectrometry (MS) search tool, tackles limited microbial metabolite annotation in untargeted metabolomics experiments. Leveraging a curated database of >60,000 microbial monocultures, users can search known and unknown MS/MS spectra and link them to their respective microbial producers via MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Identification of microbe-derived metabolites and relative producers without a priori knowledge will vastly enhance the understanding of microorganisms' role in ecology and human health.

Pseudobulbiferamides: Plasmid-Encoded Ureidopeptide Natural Products with Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Shared Among Marine Bacteria of Different Genera.

Ureidopeptidic natural products possess a wide variety of favorable pharmacological properties. In addition, they have been shown to mediate core physiological functions in producer bacteria. Here, we report that similar ureidopeptidic natural products with conserved biosynthetic gene clusters are produced by different bacterial genera that coinhabit marine invertebrate microbiomes.

A Taxonomically-informed Mass Spectrometry Search Tool for Microbial Metabolomics Data.

MicrobeMASST, a taxonomically-informed mass spectrometry (MS) search tool, tackles limited microbial metabolite annotation in untargeted metabolomics experiments. Leveraging a curated database of >60,000 microbial monocultures, users can search known and unknown MS/MS spectra and link them to their respective microbial producers via MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Identification of microbial-derived metabolites and relative producers, without knowledge, will vastly enhance the understanding of microorganisms' role in ecology and human health.

Whole-Cell MALDI-ToF MS Coupled with Untargeted Metabolomics Facilitates Investigations of Microbial Chemical Interactions.

The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens necessitates the development of new countermeasures. In this regard, the introduction of probiotics to directly attack or competitively exclude pathogens presents a useful strategy. Application of this approach requires an understanding of how a probiotic and its target pathogen interact.

Metabolomics Analysis of Bacterial Pathogen and Mammalian Host Cells in Co-culture.

The Tier 1 HHS/USDA Select Agent is a bacterial pathogen that is highly virulent when introduced into the respiratory tract and intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics. Transcriptomic- and proteomic-based methodologies have been used to investigate mechanisms of virulence employed by and , a convenient surrogate; however, analysis of the pathogen and host metabolomes during infection is lacking. Changes in the metabolites produced can be a result of altered gene expression and/or post-transcriptional processes.