Metaproteomic analysis of the human gut microbiome
| Project Members: | Julia Rechenberger |
| Cooperation: | - |
| Contact: |
The human gut is home to complex microbial populations that change dynamically in response to various internal and external stimuli. Research has shown that imbalances in the microbial community or dysbiosis have potential adverse effects on human health and can lead to the development of numerous diseases, including metabolic disorders, inflammatory diseases and cancers. Given the importance of gut microbiota in human health and disease development, it has been the subject of extensive investigations in recent years.
However, these studies mainly focus on metagenomics analysis but do not provide any clues regarding their actual gene or protein expression levels. Hence, other complementary approaches are needed to elucidate the functional capacity of human gut microbiota. Metaproteomics, which refers to the study of the entire protein collection of the microbial community in a given sample, is an emerging area of research that provides informative details concerning functional aspects of the microbiota. Compared to metagenomics, metaproteomics is capable to reveal functional traits relevant to the underlying physiological states, thereby providing detailed insights into the connection between microbial diversity, functions and the impact on host biology.
Therefore, we use metaproteomic analysis to study the functional activities of the human gut microbiota to understand their role in diseases and to characterize host-microbiome interactions.