Justin L. Sonnenburg

Apr 2, 2024 | cell.com | Elisa B Caffrey |Justin L. Sonnenburg |Chan Zuckerberg Biohub

SummaryOne of the key modes of microbial metabolism occurring in the gut microbiome is fermentation. This energy-yielding process transforms common macromolecules like polysaccharides and amino acids into a wide variety of chemicals, many of which are relevant to microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions. Analogous transformations occur during the production of fermented foods, resulting in an abundance of bioactive metabolites.

Jan 1, 2024 | nature.com | Craig Hill |Aaron L. Hecht |Justin L. Sonnenburg

AbstractBacterial toxins are well-studied virulence factors; however, recent studies have revealed their importance in bacterial niche adaptation. Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) expresses B. fragilis toxin (BFT) that we hypothesized may contribute to both colonic epithelial injury and niche acquisition.

Nov 21, 2023 | biorxiv.org | Matthew R Olm |Sean Paul Spencer |Justin L. Sonnenburg |Evelyn Lemus Silva

AbstractIgA, the most highly produced human antibody, is continually secreted into the gut to shape the intestinal microbiota. Methodological limitations have critically hindered defining which microbial strains are targeted by IgA and why. Here, we develop a new technique, Metagenomic Immunoglobulin Sequencing (MIG-Seq), and use it to determine IgA coating levels for thousands of gut microbiome strains in healthy humans.

Nov 16, 2023 | aiche.org | Justin L. Sonnenburg |Aibhlin Moye-Linehan

The 6th International Conference on Microbiome Engineering (ICME) brings together scientists across the quickly growing field of microbiome engineering. Held December 8–10, 2023 at the International House at UC Berkeley, the ICME’s program is unique among microbiome conferences in that it specifically highlights the integration of engineering design principles with microbiome research.

Jan 31, 2023 | nature.com | Michael Fischbach |Justin L. Sonnenburg

AbstractThe human gut microbiota produces dozens of small molecules that circulate in blood, accumulate to comparable levels as pharmaceutical drugs, and influence host physiology. Despite the importance of these metabolites to human health and disease, the origin of most microbially-produced molecules and their fate in the host remains largely unknown. Here, we uncover a host-microbe co-metabolic pathway for generation of hippuric acid, one of the most abundant organic acids in mammalian urine.