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Townsend EM, Kelly L, Muscatt G, Box JD, Hargraves N, Lilley D, Jameson E. The Human Gut Phageome: Origins and Roles in the Human Gut Microbiome. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:643214. [PMID: 34150671 PMCID: PMC8213399 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.643214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The investigation of the microbial populations of the human body, known as the microbiome, has led to a revolutionary field of science, and understanding of its impacts on human development and health. The majority of microbiome research to date has focussed on bacteria and other kingdoms of life, such as fungi. Trailing behind these is the interrogation of the gut viruses, specifically the phageome. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacterial hosts, are known to dictate the dynamics and diversity of bacterial populations in a number of ecosystems. However, the phageome of the human gut, while of apparent importance, remains an area of many unknowns. In this paper we discuss the role of bacteriophages within the human gut microbiome. We examine the methods used to study bacteriophage populations, how this evolved over time and what we now understand about the phageome. We review the phageome development in infancy, and factors that may influence phage populations in adult life. The role and action of the phageome is then discussed at both a biological-level, and in the broader context of human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor M Townsend
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Kelly
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - George Muscatt
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua D Box
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole Hargraves
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Lilley
- Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor Jameson
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
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Conrad SJ, El-Aswad M, Kurban E, Jeng D, Tripp BC, Nutting C, Eversole R, Mackenzie C, Essani K. Oncolytic tanapoxvirus expressing FliC causes regression of human colorectal cancer xenografts in nude mice. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2015; 34:19. [PMID: 25887490 PMCID: PMC4337313 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-015-0131-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal cancers are significant causes of morbidity and mortality and existing therapies often perform poorly for individuals afflicted with advanced disease. Oncolytic virotherapy is an emerging therapeutic modality with great promise for addressing this medical need. Herein we describe the in vivo testing of recombinant variants of the tanapoxvirus (TPV). Recombinant viruses were made ablated for either the 66R gene (encoding a thymidine kinase), the 2L gene (encoding a TNF-binding protein), or both. Some of the recombinants were armed to express mouse chemotactic protein 1 (mCCL2/mMCP-1), mouse granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor (mGM-CSF), or bacterial flagellin (FliC). Tumors were induced in athymic nude mice by implantation of HCT 116 cells and subsequently treated by a single intratumoral injection of one of the recombinant TPVs. Histological examination showed a common neoplastic cell type and a range of immune cell infiltration, necrosis, and tumor cell organization. Significant regression was seen in tumors treated with virus TPV/Δ2L/Δ66R/fliC, and to a lesser extent the recombinants TPV/Δ2L and TPV/Δ66R. Our results suggest that oncolytic recombinants of the TPV armed with activators of the innate immune response may be effective virotherapeutic agents for colorectal cancers in humans and should be explored further to fully realize their potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Conrad
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Mohamed El-Aswad
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Esaw Kurban
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - David Jeng
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Brian C Tripp
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Charles Nutting
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Robert Eversole
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Charles Mackenzie
- Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
| | - Karim Essani
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
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