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Microbial communities are groups of microorganisms that share a common living space. The microbial populations that form the community can interact in different ways, for example as predators and prey or as symbionts.
Cas9 nucleases hold clinical significance for genome editing therapies. Here the authors characterize CoCas9, a compact, efficient and precise Cas9 from the human microbiome, and show that delivery via AAV vectors enables efficient editing in the mouse retina, expanding the genome editing toolbox.
Post birth the gastrointestinal tract undergoes development including the establishment of the microbiome, establishment of tolerance and maturation of the epithelium. Here the authors show a histone demethylase LSD1 is required for postnatal intestinal epithelium maturation and how this impacts local immune cell composition and gut homeostasis.
The rising incidence of young-onset sporadic colorectal cancer (yCRC) is global concern. Here, leveraging a substantial number of deep sequencing metagenomes, the authors show striking similarities in gut microbial patterns at both the taxonomic and selected gene marker levels between yCRC and old-onset CRC.
Metagenomic taxonomic profiling usually relies either on reads or assembled contigs/MAGs. Here, authors present RAT, a tool that integrates taxonomic signals from reads, contigs, and MAGs into one profile with high precision and sensitivity. RAT provides a comprehensive view of the microbiome.
Unusual microbial communities in a person’s lower airways could influence the onset and progression of lung cancer and other conditions, and might point the way to therapies.
Multidisciplinary culture-dependent and -independent techniques elucidate the unique microbial nitrogen cycle in nutrient-poor coastal Antarctica soils and reveal the contribution of novel key microbes to their nitrogen budget.
This Genome Watch article highlights the recent use of large-scale monitoring of natural microbiomes to examine feedback between environmental change and microbial adaptation.
The clinical translation of therapeutics on the basis of human gut microorganisms is hampered by our limited knowledge of how microbes survive and adapt to fluctuating conditions in the gut. The systematic exploration of gut microbiome survival strategies and trade-offs will thus enable the design of more efficient microbiome-based interventions.