TY  - JOUR
A1  - Costea, Paul I.
A1  - Coelho, Louis Pedro
A1  - Sunagawa, Shinichi
A1  - Munch, Robin
A1  - Huerta-Cepas, Jaime
A1  - Forslund, Kristoffer
A1  - Hildebrand, Falk
A1  - Kushugulova, Almagul
A1  - Zeller, Georg
A1  - Bork, Peer
T1  - Subspecies in the global human gut microbiome
JF  - Molecular Systems Biology
N2  - Population genomics of prokaryotes has been studied in depth in only a small number of primarily pathogenic bacteria, as genome sequences of isolates of diverse origin are lacking for most species. Here, we conducted a large‐scale survey of population structure in prevalent human gut microbial species, sampled from their natural environment, with a culture‐independent metagenomic approach. We examined the variation landscape of 71 species in 2,144 human fecal metagenomes and found that in 44 of these, accounting for 72% of the total assigned microbial abundance, single‐nucleotide variation clearly indicates the existence of sub‐populations (here termed subspecies). A single subspecies (per species) usually dominates within each host, as expected from ecological theory. At the global scale, geographic distributions of subspecies differ between phyla, with Firmicutes subspecies being significantly more geographically restricted. To investigate the functional significance of the delineated subspecies, we identified genes that consistently distinguish them in a manner that is independent of reference genomes. We further associated these subspecies‐specific genes with properties of the microbial community and the host. For example, two of the three Eubacterium rectale subspecies consistently harbor an accessory pro‐inflammatory flagellum operon that is associated with lower gut community diversity, higher host BMI, and higher blood fasting insulin levels. Using an additional 676 human oral samples, we further demonstrate the existence of niche specialized subspecies in the different parts of the oral cavity. Taken together, we provide evidence for subspecies in the majority of abundant gut prokaryotes, leading to a better functional and ecological understanding of the human gut microbiome in conjunction with its host.
KW  - biology
KW  - genetic variation
KW  - metagenomics
KW  - microbiome
KW  - population structure
KW  - prokaryotic subspecies
Y1  - 2017
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172674
VL  - 13
IS  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ampattu, Biju Joseph
A1  - Hagmann, Laura
A1  - Liang, Chunguang
A1  - Dittrich, Marcus
A1  - Schlüter, Andreas
A1  - Blom, Jochen
A1  - Krol, Elizaveta
A1  - Goesmann, Alexander
A1  - Becker, Anke
A1  - Dandekar, Thomas
A1  - Müller, Tobias
A1  - Schoen, Christoph
T1  - Transcriptomic buffering of cryptic genetic variation contributes to meningococcal virulence
JF  - BMC Genomics
N2  - Background:
Commensal bacteria like Neisseria meningitidis sometimes cause serious disease. However, genomic comparison of hyperinvasive and apathogenic lineages did not reveal unambiguous hints towards indispensable virulence factors. Here, in a systems biological approach we compared gene expression of the invasive strain MC58 and the carriage strain α522 under different ex vivo conditions mimicking commensal and virulence compartments to assess the strain-specific impact of gene regulation on meningococcal virulence.
Results:
Despite indistinguishable ex vivo phenotypes, both strains differed in the expression of over 500 genes under infection mimicking conditions. These differences comprised in particular metabolic and information processing genes as well as genes known to be involved in host-damage such as the nitrite reductase and numerous LOS biosynthesis genes. A model based analysis of the transcriptomic differences in human blood suggested ensuing metabolic flux differences in energy, glutamine and cysteine metabolic pathways along with differences in the activation of the stringent response in both strains. In support of the computational findings, experimental analyses revealed differences in cysteine and glutamine auxotrophy in both strains as well as a strain and condition dependent essentiality of the (p)ppGpp synthetase gene relA and of a short non-coding AT-rich repeat element in its promoter region.
Conclusions:
Our data suggest that meningococcal virulence is linked to transcriptional buffering of cryptic genetic variation in metabolic genes including global stress responses. They further highlight the role of regulatory elements for bacterial virulence and the limitations of model strain approaches when studying such genetically diverse species as N. meningitidis.
KW  - neisseria meningitidis
KW  - MITE
KW  - virulenceregulatory evolution
KW  - systems biology
KW  - metabolism
KW  - cryptic
KW  - genetic variation
KW  - stringent response
KW  - relA
Y1  - 2017
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-157534
VL  - 18
IS  - 282
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Biernacka, J. M.
A1  - Sangkuhl, K.
A1  - Jenkins, G.
A1  - Whaley, R. M.
A1  - Barman, P.
A1  - Batzler, A.
A1  - Altman, R. B.
A1  - Arolt, V.
A1  - Brockmöller, J.
A1  - Chen, C. H.
A1  - Domschke, K.
A1  - Hall-Flavin, D. K.
A1  - Hong, C. J.
A1  - Illi, A.
A1  - Ji, Y.
A1  - Kampman, O.
A1  - Kinoshita, T.
A1  - Leinonen, E.
A1  - Liou, Y. J.
A1  - Mushiroda, T.
A1  - Nonen, S.
A1  - Skime, M. K.
A1  - Wang, L.
A1  - Baune, B. T.
A1  - Kato, M.
A1  - Liu, Y. L.
A1  - Praphanphoj, V.
A1  - Stingl, J. C.
A1  - Tsai, S. J.
A1  - Kubo, M.
A1  - Klein, T. E.
A1  - Weinshilboum, R.
T1  - The International SSRI Pharmacogenomics Consortium (ISPC): a genome-wide association study of antidepressant treatment response
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - Response to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) varies considerably between patients. The International SSRI Pharmacogenomics Consortium (ISPC) was formed with the primary goal of identifying genetic variation that may contribute to response to SSRI treatment of major depressive disorder. A genome-wide association study of 4-week treatment outcomes, measured using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17), was performed using data from 865 subjects from seven sites. The primary outcomes were percent change in HRSD-17 score and response, defined as at least 50% reduction in HRSD-17. Data from two prior studies, the Pharmacogenomics Research Network Antidepressant Medication Pharmacogenomics Study (PGRN-AMPS) and the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, were used for replication, and a meta-analysis of the three studies was performed (N = 2394). Although many top association signals in the ISPC analysis map to interesting candidate genes, none were significant at the genome-wide level and the associations were not replicated using PGRN-AMPS and STAR*D data. Top association results in the meta-analysis of response included single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HPRTP4 (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase pseudogene 4)/VSTM5 (V-set and transmembrane domain containing 5) region, which approached genome-wide significance (P = 5.03E - 08) and SNPs 5' upstream of the neuregulin-1 gene, NRG1 (P = 1.20E - 06). NRG1 is involved in many aspects of brain development, including neuronal maturation and variations in this gene have been shown to be associated with increased risk for mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia. Replication and functional studies of these findings are warranted.
KW  - major depressive disorder
KW  - genetic variation
KW  - schizophrenia
KW  - neuregulin-1
KW  - population
KW  - microcephalin 1
KW  - susceptibility
KW  - metaanalysis
KW  - MCPH1
KW  - loci
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143223
VL  - 5
IS  - e553
ER  -