Doctoral Dissertation Research: Factors Influencing Ecological Dynamics of the Human Gut Microbiome

博士论文研究：影响人类肠道微生物组生态动态的因素

• 批准号: 1925579
• 负责人: Cecil Lewis
• 金额: $ 3.1万
• 依托单位: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-08-01 至 2021-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1925579&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Factors; Influencing

The human body is colonized by trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the human microbiome. Research suggests that our microbiome may influence a wide range of physiological functions and health, from immune function to mood. However, there are still many unanswered questions about how these microbes interact with each other and how those interactions affect human biology. By studying large networks of microbial interactions and functions in industrialized and non-industrialized human communities, this doctoral dissertation research will examine the extent of ecological diversity in human gut microbiomes and how differences in lifestyle impact this diversity. The research team will provide hands-on workshops to participant communities to discuss how their participation helps to advance microbiome research. The project will also support student training and mentoring of individuals from unrepresented groups in STEM, supporting broader participation in a rapidly developing area of biological research.Humans living a Western-industrialized lifestyle have markedly different microbiomes than those living a more traditional, non-industrial lifestyle, such as hunter-gatherers and rural farmers from developing countries. Earlier studies have determined that diet, antibiotic use, and contact between humans and other animals all have major impacts on microbiome diversity. In a number of these studies, the way in which microbial diversity was estimated did not necessarily account for the fact that microbiomes are complex ecologies. In this study, the researchers will investigate ecological dynamics and microbial interactions in microbiomes from humans and pigs on family farms in Oklahoma and compare them to humans and pigs from the African country of Burkina Faso. By comparing both humans and pigs in an industrialized country to a developing country, the researchers will document the effects of lifestyle on the human microbiome with a focus on human-animal interactions. By investigating the ecological dynamics of functional redundancy and resilience in gut microbiomes, the project will advance knowledge about complex microbial ecology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

人体内有数万亿的微生物，统称为人体微生物组。研究表明，我们的微生物组可能会影响广泛的生理功能和健康，从免疫功能到情绪。然而，关于这些微生物如何相互作用以及这些相互作用如何影响人类生物学，仍然有许多未解之谜。通过研究工业化和非工业化人类社区中微生物相互作用和功能的大型网络，本博士论文研究将研究人类肠道微生物组的生态多样性程度以及生活方式的差异如何影响这种多样性。研究小组将为参与者社区提供实践研讨会，讨论他们的参与如何有助于推进微生物组研究。该项目还将支持学生培训和指导来自STEM领域的未代表群体的个人，支持更广泛地参与快速发展的生物研究领域。生活在西方工业化生活方式中的人与那些生活在更传统的非工业生活方式中的人（如狩猎采集者和发展中国家的农村农民）的微生物组有明显不同。早期的研究已经确定，饮食，抗生素使用以及人类与其他动物之间的接触都对微生物组多样性产生重大影响。在这些研究中，估计微生物多样性的方式并不一定能解释微生物组是复杂的生态系统这一事实。在这项研究中，研究人员将调查俄克拉荷马州家庭农场人类和猪微生物组的生态动态和微生物相互作用，并将其与非洲国家布基纳法索的人类和猪进行比较。通过比较工业化国家和发展中国家的人类和猪，研究人员将记录生活方式对人类微生物组的影响，重点是人与动物的相互作用。通过研究肠道微生物组中功能冗余和恢复力的生态动力学，该项目将推进有关复杂微生物生态学的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。