Weekly Research News Digest

This newsletter is designed to share with you research news in various fields where applications of gene sequencing can be found. It will share research findings from Novogene’s customers. By sharing insights from the most prestigious research teams, it is intended to call your attention to the latest applications of sequencing in life sciences and biomedical research and inspire your research.

It's a great pleasure to reunite with you all in this edition of the Weekly Research News Digest. In the five articles shared in this issue, researchers explored host-microbiome interactions and their impact on health and disease using sequencing methods such as 16S/18S/ITS Amplicon Metagenomic Sequencing, mRNA-Seq, and Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing. These studies highlight the critical role of the microbiome in host physiological processes and uncover its potential contributions to various diseases. They provide valuable insights into the complexity of host-microbiome interactions and open new avenues for the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies.

Genetic and Microbial Factors Influencing Methane Emissions by Ruminants: Insights from GWAS and TWAS of Rumen Microorganisms in Holstein Cattle

Methane emissions by ruminants are largely influenced by the ruminal microbiota, but the role of host genetics in modulating these emissions remains poorly understood. In a study published in iMeta, researchers performed genome-wide and transcriptome-wide association studies (GWAS and TWAS) using matched data from 574 Holstein cattle. Their research identified significant heritability in about 70% of microbial taxa. GWAS detected 43 genetic variants significantly associated with 22 microbial taxa, while TWAS identified 28,260 gene-microbe associations involving 210 microbial taxa and 4,652 unique genes. On average, host genetics accounted for around 28% of the variance in microbial abundance, while rumen gene expression explained 43%. Additionally, their study highlighted substrate hydrogen metabolism as a key factor linking host-microbe interactions in methanogenesis. These findings suggest that strategies targeting genetic and microbial factors may help mitigate methane emissions in ruminants.

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Chemotherapy-Induced Epithelial Cell Death and Purine-Containing Metabolites Drive Dysbiosis, Delaying Intestinal Recovery

Cytotoxic chemotherapy induces gastrointestinal toxicity, including epithelial cell death and dysbiosis, but the direct link between dysbiosis and tissue toxicity remains unclear. Researchers from Belgium, the UK, and Luxembourg jointly reported an intestinal epithelial cell death-Enterobacteriaceae signaling pathway that drives dysbiosis. They found that epithelial cell apoptosis caused by chemotherapy and purine-containing metabolites from dying cells contributed to changes in the transcriptional activity of Enterobacteriaceae, triggering shifts in bacterial respiration and facilitating expansion relying on purine utilization, thereby delaying intestinal recovery. Inhibiting epithelial cell death or maintaining homeostatic levels of Enterobacteriaceae reversed dysbiosis and enhanced intestinal recovery. The study highlights a potential therapeutic strategy that may mitigate chemotherapy-induced intestinal damage.

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Comprehensive Microbiome Analysis Reveals Novel Diagnostic Markers and Therapeutic Targets across Specimen Types and Diseases

The human microbiome holds great promise as a source for diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. A comprehensive analysis strategy should include a wide range of specimen types and diseases. A multi-institutional team of researchers from Germany used standardized protocols to sequence 1,931 specimens from 515 patients and made analysis. They found notable microbial differences across both diseases and specimen types and identified 583 novel species-level genome bins (SGBs), 189 of which were strongly associated with specific diseases. Additionally, they identified 28,315 potential biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), 1,050 of which showed significant associations with diseases. These findings highlight the potential of pan-body, pan-disease microbiome analysis for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

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Gut Microbiota and APS Reductase: Enhancing Andrographolide's Efficacy in Treating Cholestatic Liver Injury

Cholestatic liver injury, caused by toxic bile acid accumulation, lacks effective treatments. Andrographolide (AP) has shown potential as a therapy for cholestatic liver disease, but its clinical use is limited by its low oral bioavailability, which may be attributed to the involvement of gut microbiota in AP metabolism. Researchers from Southern Medical University in China conducted metagenomic sequencing analysis and demonstrated the essential role of gut microbiota in the C-sulfonate metabolism of AP. They identified adenosine-5’-phosphosulfate (APS) reductase which is primarily generated by Desulfovibrio piger as a key enzyme in the process and showed that inhibiting APS reductase significantly improved AP bioavailability and its anti-cholestatic effects. Additionally, the study found that AP's anti-cholestatic effects might be mediated through the FXR pathway whose activation facilitated bile acid efflux. This comprehensive investigation highlights the possibility of targeting gut microbiota to enhance the clinical applicability of AP.

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Gut Microbiota Metabolites in Colorectal Cancer: Exploring Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Tyrosol as Therapeutic Targets

Microbial-derived metabolites influences the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), yet their exact roles are still being explored. A recent study investigated the influence of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a bacterium known for its anti-CRC effects, and its metabolite, tyrosol, on CRC development. It found that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was more prevalent in the intestines of healthy people than in those of CRC patients. In mouse tumor models, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii could suppress tumor growth by boosting anti-tumor immunity and reducing inflammation. Additionally, tyrosol exhibited anti-tumor effects in vivo, selectively targeting CRC cells without harming intestinal epithelial cells in cell culture experiments. It decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines in MC38 cells and suppressed the NF-κB and HIF-1 pathways. These results suggest that tyrosol and similar microbial metabolites could be used to prevent and treat CRC, indicating that altering gut bacteria might help fight the disease.

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Novogene specializes in the application of advanced molecular biotechnology and high-performance computing in the research fields of life science and human health. Established in March 2011, Novogene strives to become a global leader in providing genetic science services and technology products. Novogene has set up operations and laboratories in the United States, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, as well as in China, Singapore and Japan.

Novogene has served over 7,300 global customers, covering 90 countries and regions across 6 continents. It has cooperated extensively with many academic institutions and completed several advanced-level, international genomics research projects. By 2023, Novogene has co-published and/or been acknowledged in more than 22,850 articles in Science Citation Index, with an accumulative impact factor of more than 148,250.

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