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Bartsch M, Hahn A, Berkemeyer S. Bridging the Gap from Enterotypes to Personalized Dietary Recommendations: A Metabolomics Perspective on Microbiome Research. Metabolites 2023; 13:1182. [PMID: 38132864 PMCID: PMC10744656 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13121182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing have propelled research into the human microbiome and its link to metabolic health. We explore microbiome analysis methods, specifically emphasizing metabolomics, how dietary choices impact the production of microbial metabolites, providing an overview of studies examining the connection between enterotypes and diet, and thus, improvement of personalized dietary recommendations. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate constitute more than 95% of the collective pool of short-chain fatty acids. Conflicting data on acetate's effects may result from its dynamic signaling, which can vary depending on physiological conditions and metabolic phenotypes. Human studies suggest that propionate has overall anti-obesity effects due to its well-documented chemistry, cellular signaling mechanisms, and various clinical benefits. Butyrate, similar to propionate, has the ability to reduce obesity by stimulating the release of appetite-suppressing hormones and promoting the synthesis of leptin. Tryptophan affects systemic hormone secretion, with indole stimulating the release of GLP-1, which impacts insulin secretion, appetite suppression, and gastric emptying. Bile acids, synthesized from cholesterol in the liver and subsequently modified by gut bacteria, play an essential role in the digestion and absorption of dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins, but they also interact directly with intestinal microbiota and their metabolites. One study using statistical methods identified primarily two groupings of enterotypes Bacteroides and Ruminococcus. The Prevotella-dominated enterotype, P-type, in humans correlates with vegetarians, high-fiber and carbohydrate-rich diets, and traditional diets. Conversely, individuals who consume diets rich in animal fats and proteins, typical in Western-style diets, often exhibit the Bacteroides-dominated, B-type, enterotype. The P-type showcases efficient hydrolytic enzymes for plant fiber degradation but has limited lipid and protein fermentation capacity. Conversely, the B-type features specialized enzymes tailored for the degradation of animal-derived carbohydrates and proteins, showcasing an enhanced saccharolytic and proteolytic potential. Generally, models excel at predictions but often struggle to fully elucidate why certain substances yield varied responses. These studies provide valuable insights into the potential for personalized dietary recommendations based on enterotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Bartsch
- NutritionLab, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrueck University of Applied Sciences, Am Kruempel 31, 49090 Osnabrueck, Germany;
- Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Leibniz University Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Leibniz University Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Shoma Berkemeyer
- NutritionLab, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrueck University of Applied Sciences, Am Kruempel 31, 49090 Osnabrueck, Germany;
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Safarlou CW, Jongsma KR, Vermeulen R, Bredenoord AL. The ethical aspects of exposome research: a systematic review. EXPOSOME 2023; 3:osad004. [PMID: 37745046 PMCID: PMC7615114 DOI: 10.1093/exposome/osad004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, exposome research has been put forward as the next frontier for the study of human health and disease. Exposome research entails the analysis of the totality of environmental exposures and their corresponding biological responses within the human body. Increasingly, this is operationalized by big-data approaches to map the effects of internal as well as external exposures using smart sensors and multiomics technologies. However, the ethical implications of exposome research are still only rarely discussed in the literature. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the academic literature regarding both the exposome and underlying research fields and approaches, to map the ethical aspects that are relevant to exposome research. We identify five ethical themes that are prominent in ethics discussions: the goals of exposome research, its standards, its tools, how it relates to study participants, and the consequences of its products. Furthermore, we provide a number of general principles for how future ethics research can best make use of our comprehensive overview of the ethical aspects of exposome research. Lastly, we highlight three aspects of exposome research that are most in need of ethical reflection: the actionability of its findings, the epidemiological or clinical norms applicable to exposome research, and the meaning and action-implications of bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caspar W. Safarlou
- Department of Global Public Health and Bioethics, Julius Center for
Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The
Netherlands
| | - Karin R. Jongsma
- Department of Global Public Health and Bioethics, Julius Center for
Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The
Netherlands
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Department of Global Public Health and Bioethics, Julius Center for
Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The
Netherlands
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University,
Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Annelien L. Bredenoord
- Department of Global Public Health and Bioethics, Julius Center for
Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The
Netherlands
- Erasmus School of Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam,
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Untargeted Fecal Metabolomic Analyses across an Industrialization Gradient Reveal Shared Metabolites and Impact of Industrialization on Fecal Microbiome-Metabolome Interactions. mSystems 2022; 7:e0071022. [PMID: 36416540 PMCID: PMC9765122 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00710-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The metabolome is a central determinant of human phenotypes and includes the plethora of small molecules produced by host and microbiome or taken up from exogenous sources. However, studies of the metabolome have so far focused predominantly on urban, industrialized populations. Through an untargeted metabolomic analysis of 90 fecal samples from human individuals from Africa and the Americas-the birthplace and the last continental expansion of our species, respectively-we characterized a shared human fecal metabolome. The majority of detected metabolite features were ubiquitous across populations, despite any geographic, dietary, or behavioral differences. Such shared metabolite features included hyocholic acid and cholesterol. However, any characterization of the shared human fecal metabolome is insufficient without exploring the influence of industrialization. Here, we show chemical differences along an industrialization gradient, where the degree of industrialization correlates with metabolomic changes. We identified differential metabolite features such as amino acid-conjugated bile acids and urobilin as major metabolic correlates of these behavioral shifts. Additionally, coanalyses with over 5,000 publicly available human fecal samples and cooccurrence probability analyses with the gut microbiome highlight connections between the human fecal metabolome and gut microbiome. Our results indicate that industrialization significantly influences the human fecal metabolome, but diverse human lifestyles and behavior still maintain a shared human fecal metabolome. This study represents the first characterization of the shared human fecal metabolome through untargeted analyses of populations along an industrialization gradient. IMPORTANCE As the world becomes increasingly industrialized, understanding the biological consequences of these lifestyle shifts and what it means for past, present, and future human health is critical. Indeed, industrialization is associated with rises in allergic and autoimmune health conditions and reduced microbial diversity. Exploring these health effects on a chemical level requires consideration of human lifestyle diversity, but understanding the significance of any differences also requires knowledge of what molecular components are shared between human groups. Our study reveals the key chemistry of the human gut as defined by varied industrialization-based differences and ubiquitous shared features. Ultimately, these novel findings extend our knowledge of human molecular biology, especially as it is influenced by lifestyle and behavior, and provide steps toward understanding how human biology has changed over our species' history.
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Mangola SM, Lund JR, Schnorr SL, Crittenden AN. Ethical microbiome research with Indigenous communities. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:749-756. [PMID: 35577973 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01116-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Human-microbiome interactions have been associated with evolutionary, cultural and environmental processes. With clinical applications of microbiome research now feasible, it is crucial that the science conducted, particularly among Indigenous communities, adheres to principles of inclusion. This necessitates a transdisciplinary dialogue to decide how biological samples are collected and who benefits from the research and any derived products. As a group of scholars working at the interface of biological and social science, we offer a candid discussion of the lessons learned from our own research and introduce one approach to carry out ethical microbiome research with Indigenous communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shani Msafiri Mangola
- Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.,Olanakwe Community Fund (USA), Boulder City, NV, USA.,Olanakwe Community Fund (TZ), Mang'ola Ward, Karatu, Tanzania
| | - Justin R Lund
- Center for the Ethics of Indigenous Genomics Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.,Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Stephanie L Schnorr
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria.,Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alyssa N Crittenden
- Olanakwe Community Fund (USA), Boulder City, NV, USA. .,Laboratory of Nutrition and Reproduction, Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
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Katemauswa M, Hossain E, Liu Z, Lesani M, Parab AR, Dean DA, McCall LI. Enabling Quantitative Analysis of Surface Small Molecules for Exposomics and Behavioral Studies. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2022; 33:412-419. [PMID: 35084848 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.1c00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Workplace chemical exposures are a major source of occupational injury. Although over half of these are skin exposures, exposomics research often focuses on chemical levels in the air or in worker biofluids such as blood and urine. Until now, one limitation has been the lack of methods to quantitatively measure surface chemical transfer. Outside the realm of harmful chemicals, the small molecules we leave behind on surfaces can also reveal important aspects of human behavior. In this study, we developed a swab-based quantitative approach to determine small molecule concentrations across common surfaces. We demonstrate its utility using one drug, cyclobenzaprine, on metal surfaces, and two human-derived metabolites, carnitine and phenylacetylglutamine, on four common surfaces: linoleum flooring, plastified laboratory workbench, metal, and Plexiglas. We observed peak areas proportional to surface analyte concentrations at 45 min and 1 week after deposition, enabling quantification of molecule abundance on workplace built environment surfaces. In contrast, this method was unsuitable for analysis of oleanolic acid, for which we did not observe a strong linear proportional relationship following swab-based recovery from surfaces. Overall, this method paves the way for future quantitative exposomics studies in analyte-specific and surface-specific frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchelle Katemauswa
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Ekram Hossain
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Zongyuan Liu
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Mahbobeh Lesani
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Adwaita R Parab
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Danya A Dean
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Laura-Isobel McCall
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
- University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
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Dean DA, Haffner JJ, Katemauswa M, McCall LI. Chemical Cartography Approaches to Study Trypanosomatid Infection. J Vis Exp 2022:10.3791/63255. [PMID: 35129167 PMCID: PMC8875367 DOI: 10.3791/63255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathogen tropism and disease tropism refer to the tissue locations selectively colonized or damaged by pathogens, leading to localized disease symptoms. Human-infective trypanosomatid parasites include Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease; Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of sleeping sickness; and Leishmania species, causative agents of leishmaniasis. Jointly, they affect 20 million people across the globe. These parasites show specific tropism: heart, esophagus, colon for T. cruzi, adipose tissue, pancreas, skin, circulatory system and central nervous system for T. brucei, skin for dermotropic Leishmania strains, and liver, spleen, and bone marrow for viscerotropic Leishmania strains. A spatial perspective is therefore essential to understand trypanosomatid disease pathogenesis. Chemical cartography generates 3D visualizations of small molecule abundance generated via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, in comparison to microbiological and immunological parameters. This protocol demonstrates how chemical cartography can be applied to study pathogenic processes during trypanosomatid infection, beginning from systematic tissue sampling and metabolite extraction, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry data acquisition, and concluding with the generation of 3D maps of metabolite distribution. This method can be used for multiple research questions, such as nutrient requirements for tissue colonization by T. cruzi, T. brucei, or Leishmania, immunometabolism at sites of infection, and the relationship between local tissue metabolic perturbation and clinical disease symptoms, leading to comprehensive insight into trypanosomatid disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danya A Dean
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman; Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman
| | - Jacob J Haffner
- Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman; Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman
| | | | - Laura-Isobel McCall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman; Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman; Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman;
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Harris MB, Lesani M, Liu Z, McCall LI. Molecular networking in infectious disease models. Methods Enzymol 2022; 663:341-375. [PMID: 35168796 PMCID: PMC10040239 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Small molecule metabolites are the product of many enzymatic reactions. Metabolomics thus opens a window into enzyme activity and function, integrating effects at the post-translational, proteome, transcriptome and genome level. In addition, small molecules can themselves regulate enzyme activity, expression and function both via substrate availability mechanisms and through allosteric regulation. Metabolites are therefore at the nexus of infectious diseases, regulating nutrient availability to the pathogen, immune responses, tropism, and host disease tolerance and resilience. Analysis of metabolomics data is however complex, particularly in terms of metabolite annotation. An emerging valuable approach to extend metabolite annotations beyond existing compound libraries and to identify infection-induced chemical changes is molecular networking. In this chapter, we discuss the applications of molecular networking in the context of infectious diseases specifically, with a focus on considerations relevant to these biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan B Harris
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States; Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Mahbobeh Lesani
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States; Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Zongyuan Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States; Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Laura-Isobel McCall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States; Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States; Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States.
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8
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Lewis CM, McCall LI, Sharp RR, Spicer PG. Ethical priority of the most actionable system of biomolecules: the metabolome. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 171:177-181. [PMID: 31643083 PMCID: PMC7003909 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The metabolome is a system of small biomolecules (metabolites) and a direct result of human bioculture. Consequently, metabolomics is well poised to impact anthropological and biomedical research for the foreseeable future. Overall, we provide a perspective on the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of metabolomics, which we argue are often more alarming than those of genomics. Given the current mechanisms to fund research, ELSI beyond human DNA is stifled and in need of considerable attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecil M Lewis
- University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Arts and Sciences, Norman, OK.,OU Center on the Ethics of Indigenous Genomic Research, Norman, OK.,OU Stephenson Cancer Center, Norman, OK.,OU Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, OK.,OU Department of Anthropology, Norman, OK
| | - Laura-Isobel McCall
- University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Arts and Sciences, Norman, OK.,OU Stephenson Cancer Center, Norman, OK.,OU Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, OK.,OU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norman, OK.,OU Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Norman, OK
| | | | - Paul G Spicer
- University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Arts and Sciences, Norman, OK.,OU Center on the Ethics of Indigenous Genomic Research, Norman, OK.,OU Stephenson Cancer Center, Norman, OK.,OU Department of Anthropology, Norman, OK
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