Ingeborg Klymiuk

Towards standards for human fecal sample processing in metagenomic studies

Technical variation in metagenomic analysis must be minimized to confidently assess the contributions of microbiota to human health. Here we tested 21 representative DNA extraction protocols on the same fecal samples and quantified differences in observed microbial community composition. We compared them with differences due to library preparation and sample storage, which we contrasted with observed biological variation within the same specimen or within an individual over time. We found that DNA extraction had the largest effect on the outcome of metagenomic analysis. To rank DNA extraction protocols, we considered resulting DNA quantity and quality, and we ascertained biases in estimates of community diversity and the ratio between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We recommend a standardized DNA extraction method for human fecal samples, for which transferability across labs was established and which was further benchmarked using a mock community of known composition. Its adoption will improve comparability of human gut microbiome studies and facilitate meta-analyses.

Characterisation of Candida within the Mycobiome/Microbiome of the Lower Respiratory Tract of ICU Patients

Whether the presence of Candida spp. in lower respiratory tract (LRT) secretions is a marker of underlying disease, intensive care unit (ICU) treatment and antibiotic therapy or contributes to poor clinical outcome is unclear. We investigated healthy controls, patients with proposed risk factors for Candida growth in LRT (antibiotic therapy, ICU treatment with and without antibiotic therapy), ICU patients with pneumonia and antibiotic therapy and candidemic patients (for comparison of truly invasive and colonizing Candida spp.). Fungal patterns were determined by conventional culture based microbiology combined with molecular approaches (next generation sequencing, multilocus sequence typing) for description of fungal and concommitant bacterial microbiota in LRT, and host and fungal biomarkes were investigated. Admission to and treatment on ICUs shifted LRT fungal microbiota to Candida spp. dominated fungal profiles but antibiotic therapy did not. Compared to controls, Candida was part of fungal microbiota in LRT of ICU patients without pneumonia with and without antibiotic therapy (63% and 50% of total fungal genera) and of ICU patients with pneumonia with antibiotic therapy (73%) (p<0.05). No case of invasive candidiasis originating from Candida in the LRT was detected. There was no common bacterial microbiota profile associated or dissociated with Candida spp. in LRT. Colonizing and invasive Candida strains (from candidemic patients) did not match to certain clades withdrawing the presence of a particular pathogenic and invasive clade. The presence of Candida spp. in the LRT rather reflected rapidly occurring LRT dysbiosis driven by ICU related factors than was associated with invasive candidiasis.

Comparison of biogas sludge and raw crop material as source of hydrolytic cultures for anaerobic digestion.

Mixed fermentative/hydrolytic bacteria were enriched on lignocellulose substrates in minimal medium under semi-anaerobic mesophilic conditions in the presence or absence of natural zeolite as growth supporter to ultimately bioaugment non-adapted sludge and thereby enhance the overall anaerobic digestion (AD) of recalcitrant plant material. Desired enzyme activities, i.e. xylanases and cellulase were monitored during subsequent cultivation cycles. Furthermore, enriched microbial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA-based 454-Pyrosequencing, revealing Firmicutes, Bacteriodetes, Proteobacteria and Spirochaetes to be the predominant bacterial groups in cultures derived from anaerobic sludge and raw crop material, i.e. maple green cut and wheat straw as well. Enriched populations relevant for biopolymer hydrolysis were then compared in biological methane potential tests to demonstrate positive effects on the biogasification of renewable plant substrate material. A significant impact on methane productivity was observed with adapted mixed cultures when used in combination with clinoptilolite to augment and supplement non-adapted bioreactor sludge.

The Human Gastric Microbiome Is Predicated upon Infection with Helicobacter pylori

The human gastric lumen is one of the most hostile environments of the human body suspected to be sterile until the discovery of Helicobacter pylori (H.p.). State of the art next generation sequencing technologies multiply the knowledge on H.p. functional genomics as well as on the colonization of supposed sterile human environments like the gastric habitat. Here we studied in a prospective, multicenter, clinical trial the 16S rRNA gene amplicon based bacterial microbiome in a total of 30 homogenized and frozen gastric biopsy samples from eight geographic locations. The evaluation of the samples for H.p. infection status was done by histopathology and a specific PCR assay. CagA status was determined by a CagA-specific PCR assay. Patients were grouped accordingly as H.p.-negative, H.p.-positive but CagA-negative and H.p.-positive and CagA-positive (n = 10, respectively). Here we show that H.p. infection of the gastric habitat dominates the gastric microbiota in most patients and is associated with a significant decrease of the microbial alpha diversity from H.p. negative to H.p. positive with CagA as a considerable factor. The genera Actinomyces, Granulicatella, Veillonella, Fusobacterium, Neisseria, Helicobacter, Streptococcus, and Prevotella are significantly different between the H.p.-positive and H.p.-negative sample groups. Differences in microbiota found between CagA-positive and CagA-negative patients were not statistically significant and need to be re-evaluated in larger sample cohorts. In conclusion, H.p. infection dominates the gastric microbiome in a multicentre cohort of patients with varying diagnoses.

Lactobacillus casei Shirota Supplementation Does Not Restore Gut Microbiota Composition and Gut Barrier in Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Pilot Study

Metabolic syndrome is associated with disturbances in gut microbiota composition. We aimed to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) on gut microbiota composition, gut barrier integrity, intestinal inflammation and serum bile acid profile in metabolic syndrome. In a single-centre, prospective, randomised controlled pilot study, 28 subjects with metabolic syndrome received either LcS for 12 weeks (n = 13) or no LcS (n = 15). Data were compared to healthy controls (n = 16). Gut microbiota composition was characterised from stool using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Serum bile acids were quantified by tandem mass spectrometry. Zonulin and calprotectin were measured in serum and stool by ELISA. Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio was significantly higher in healthy controls compared to metabolic syndrome but was not influenced by LcS. LcS supplementation led to enrichment of Parabacteroides. Zonulin and calprotectin were increased in metabolic syndrome stool samples but not influenced by LcS supplementation. Serum bile acids were similar to controls and not influenced by LcS supplementation. Metabolic syndrome is associated with a higher Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and gut barrier dysfunction but LcS was not able to change this. LcS administration was associated with subtle microbiota changes at genus level. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01182844

Viruses comprise an extensive pool of mobile genetic elements in eukaryote cell cultures and human clinical samples

Viruses shape a diversity of ecosystems by modulating their microbial, eukaryotic, or plant host metabolism. The complexity of virus–host interaction networks is progressively fathomed by novel metagenomic approaches. By using a novel metagenomic method, we explored the virome in mammalian cell cultures and clinical samples to identify an extensive pool of mobile genetic elements in all of these ecosystems. Despite aseptic treatment, cell cultures harbored extensive and diverse phage populations with a high abundance of as yet unknown and uncharacterized viruses (viral dark matter). Unknown phages also predominated in the oropharynx and urine of healthy individuals and patients infected with cytomegalovirus despite demonstration of active cytomegalovirus replication. The novelty of viral sequences correlated primarily with the individual evaluated, whereas relative abundance of encoded protein functions was associated with the ecologic niches probed. Together, these observations demonstrate the extensive presence of viral dark matter in human and artificial ecosystems.—Thannesberger, J., Hellinger, H.‐J., Klymiuk, I., Kastner, M.‐T., Rieder, F. J. J., Schneider, M., Fister, S., Lion, T., Kosulin, K., Laengle, J., Bergmann, M., Rattei, T., Steininger, C. Viruses comprise an extensive pool of mobile genetic elements in eukaryote cell cultures and human clinical samples. FASEB J. 31, 1987–2000 (2017). www.fasebj.org

16S Based Microbiome Analysis from Healthy Subjects’ Skin Swabs Stored for Different Storage Periods Reveal Phylum to Genus Level Changes

Microbiome research and improvements in high throughput sequencing technologies revolutionize our current scientific viewpoint. The human associated microbiome is a prominent focus of clinical research. Large cohort studies are often required to investigate the human microbiome composition and its changes in a multitude of human diseases. Reproducible analyses of large cohort samples require standardized protocols in study design, sampling, storage, processing, and data analysis. In particular, the effect of sample storage on actual results is critical for reproducibility. So far, the effect of storage conditions on the results of microbial analysis has been examined for only a few human biological materials (e.g., stool samples). There is a lack of data and information on appropriate storage conditions on other human derived samples, such as skin. Here, we analyzed skin swab samples collected from three different body locations (forearm, V of the chest and back) of eight healthy volunteers. The skin swabs were soaked in sterile buffer and total DNA was isolated after freezing at -80°C for 24 h, 90 or 365 days. Hypervariable regions V1-2 were amplified from total DNA and libraries were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq desktop sequencer in paired end mode. Data were analyzed using Qiime 1.9.1. Summarizing all body locations per time point, we found no significant differences in alpha diversity and multivariate community analysis among the three time points. Considering body locations separately significant differences in the richness of forearm samples were found between d0 vs. d90 and d90 vs. d365. Significant differences in the relative abundance of major skin genera (Propionibacterium, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, Corynebacterium, and Staphylococcus) were detected in our samples in Bacteroides only among all time points in forearm samples and between d0 vs. d90 and d90 vs. d365 in V of the chest and back samples. Accordingly, significant differences were detected in the ratios of the main phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes: Actinobacteria vs. Bacteroidetes at d0 vs. d90 (p-value = 0.0234), at d0 vs. d365 (p-value = 0.0234) and d90 vs. d365 (p-value = 0.0234) in forearm samples and at d90 vs. d365 in V of the chest (p-value = 0.0234) and back samples (p-value = 0.0234). The ratios of Firmicutes vs. Bacteroidetes showed no significant changes in any of the body locations as well as the ratios of Actinobacteria vs. Firmicutes at any time point. Studies with larger sample sizes are required to verify our results and determine long term storage effects with regard to specific biological questions.

Heterogeneous susceptibility for uraemic media calcification and concomitant inflammation within the arterial tree

Background End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is strongly associated with arterial calcification of the tunica media, decreased vascular compliance and sudden cardiac death. Here, we analysed the distribution pattern of uraemic media calcification and concomitant inflammation in mice and men. Methods Uraemia was induced in DBA/2 mice with high-phosphate diet. Subsequently, we analysed arterial medial calcification using histology, mass spectrometry, and wire myography. Gene expression was quantified using a whole transcriptome array and quantitative PCR. In a cohort of 36 consecutive patients with CKD stage 4–5, we measured the calcium score of the coronary arteries, the ascending thoracic aorta and the infrarenal abdominal aorta using computed tomography scans. Results Uraemic DBA/2 mice showed only minor calcifications in thoracic aortas, whereas there was overt media calcification in abdominal aortas. The transcriptional profile and immunohistochemistry revealed induction of Vcam1 expression by vascular smooth muscle cells in uraemic abdominal aortas. Macrophages infiltrated the tunica media of the abdominal aorta. Anti-inflammatory treatment did not improve uraemic media calcification in our animal model. Arterial calcifications in ESRD patients showed a similar distribution pattern in computed tomography scans, with higher calcium scores of the abdominal aorta when compared with the thoracic aorta. Conclusion Taken together, there was a similar heterogeneous pattern of calcification in both mice and humans, where the abdominal aorta was more prone to media calcification when compared with the thoracic aorta. In uraemia, smooth muscle cells of the abdominal aorta showed a phenotypic switch to an inflammatory and osteoblastic phenotype.

In vivo functional requirement of the mouse Ifitm1 gene for germ cell development, interferon mediated immune response and somitogenesis.

The mammalian Interferon induced transmembrane protein 1 (Ifitm1) gene was originally identified as a member of a gene family highly inducible by type I and type II interferons. Based on expression analyses, it was suggested to be required for normal primordial germ cell migration. The knockdown of Ifitm1 in mouse embryos provided evidence for a role in somitogenesis. We generated the first targeted knockin allele of the Ifitm1 gene to systematically reassess all inferred functions. Sperm motility and the fertility of male and female mutant mice are as in wild type littermates. Embryonic somites and the adult vertebral column appear normal in homozygous Ifitm1 knockout mice, demonstrating that Ifitm1 is not essential for normal segmentation of the paraxial mesoderm. Proportions of leucocyte subsets, including granulocytes, monocytes, B-cells, T-cells, NK-cells, and NKT-cells, are unchanged in mutant mice. Based on a normal immune response to Listeria monocytogenes infection, there is no evidence for a dysfunction in downstream IFNγ signaling in Ifitm1 mutant mice. Expression from the Ifitm1 locus from E8.5 to E14.5 is highly dynamic. In contrast, in adult mice, Ifitm1 expression is highly restricted and strong in the bronchial epithelium. Intriguingly, IFITM1 is highly overexpressed in tumor epithelia cells of human squamous cell carcinomas and in adenocarcinomas of NSCLC patients. These analyses underline the general importance of targeted in vivo studies for the functional annotation of the mammalian genome. The first comprehensive description of the Ifitm1 expression pattern provides a rational basis for the further examination of Ifitm1 gene functions. Based on our data, the fact that IFITM1 can function as a negative regulator of cell proliferation, and because the gene maps to chromosome band 11p15.5, previously associated with NSCLC, it is likely that IFITM1 in man has a key role in tumor formation.

The mitochondrial genome of the oribatid mite Paraleius leontonychus: new insights into tRNA evolution and phylogenetic relationships in acariform mites.

Bilaterian mitochondrial (mt) genomes are circular molecules that typically contain 37 genes. To date, only a single complete mitogenome sequence is available for the species-rich sarcoptiform mite order Oribatida. We sequenced the mitogenome of Paraleius leontonychus, another species of this suborder. It is 14,186 bp long and contains 35 genes, including only 20 tRNAs, lacking tRNAGly and tRNATyr. Re-annotation of the mitogenome of Steganacarus magnus increased the number of mt tRNAs for this species to 12. As typical for acariform mites, many tRNAs are highly truncated in both oribatid species. The total number of tRNAs and the number of tRNAs with a complete cloverleaf-like structure in P. leontonychus, however, clearly exceeds the numbers previously reported for Sarcoptiformes. This indicates, contrary to what has been previously assumed, that reduction of tRNAs is not a general characteristic for sarcoptiform mites. Compared to other Sarcoptiformes, the two oribatid species have the least rearranged mt genome with respect to the pattern observed in Limulus polyphemus, a basal arachnid species. Phylogenetic analysis of the newly sequenced mt genome and previously published data on other acariform mites confirms paraphyly of the Oribatida and an origin of the Astigmata within the Oribatida.