This session will host Dr. Thomas Hitch (RWTH Aachen University), who will present:
Lineage-specific microbial protein prediction enables large-scale exploration of protein ecology within the human gut
Microbes use a range of genetic codes and gene structures, yet these are ignored during metagenomic analysis. This causes spurious protein predictions, preventing functional assignment and limiting our understanding of ecosystems. To resolve this, we developed
a lineage-specific gene prediction approach that uses the correct genetic code based on taxonomic assignment, removes partial predictions, and optimizes the prediction of small proteins.
Applied to 9,634 metagenomes and 3,594 genomes from the human gut, this approach increased the captured expressed microbial proteins by 78.9%, including previously hidden functional groups. Optimized small protein prediction captured 3,772,658 small protein
clusters, many with antimicrobial activity. Integration of these protein sequences and sample metadata into a tool, InvestiGUT, enables the association of protein prevalence with host parameters. Accurate prediction of proteins is critical for understanding
microbiome functionality, and this work enhances our mechanistic understanding of microbe-host interactions.
When?
📅 Date: Monday, February 24
🕝 Time: 2:30 PM CET
Where?
💻 Online on Zoom
🔗 Join the Meeting
https://helmholtz-hzi-de.zoom-x.de/j/68764089023?pwd=cvlqk3FLgKyIyK3xkUy2LhKGp1JBKT.1
We look forward to seeing you online for an engaging discussion! Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues who may be interested.
Best regards,
Mattea Müller
NFDI4Microbiota Team