Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2021 Aug 2;62(10):8. doi: 10.1167/iovs.62.10.8.
The purpose of this study was to explore the interplay between the ocular surface microbiome and the tear proteome in humans in order to better understand the pathogenesis of ocular surface-associated diseases.
Twenty eyes from 20 participants were included in the study. The ocular surface microbiome was sequenced by whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing using lid and conjunctival swabs. Furthermore, the tear proteome was identified using chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. After compositional and functional profiling of the metagenome and functional characterization of the proteome by gene ontology, association studies between the ocular microbiome and tear proteome were assessed.
Two hundred twenty-nine taxa were identified with Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria being the most abundant phyla with significantly more Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis in lid compared to conjunctival swabs. The lid metagenomes were enriched in genes of the glycolysis lll and adenosine nucleotides de novo and L-isoleucine biosynthesis. Correlations between the phylum Firmicutes and fatty acid metabolism, between the genus Agrobacterium as well as vitamin B1 synthesis and antimicrobial activity, and between biosynthesis of heme, L-arginine, as well as L-citrulline and human vision were detected.
The ocular surface microbiome was found to be associated with the tear proteome with a role in human immune defense. This study has a potential impact on the development of treatment strategies for ocular surface-associated diseases.
本研究旨在探讨人类眼表微生物组与泪液蛋白质组之间的相互作用，以便更好地了解眼表相关疾病的发病机制。
本研究纳入了 20 名参与者的 20 只眼睛。通过使用 lid 和结膜拭子的全宏基因组 shotgun 测序对眼表微生物组进行测序。此外，使用色谱串联质谱法鉴定泪液蛋白质组。在对宏基因组进行组成和功能分析以及对蛋白质组进行基因本体功能特征描述后，评估了眼表微生物组和泪液蛋白质组之间的关联研究。
鉴定出 229 个分类群，其中放线菌和变形菌是最丰富的门，与结膜拭子相比，lid 中丙酸杆菌和表皮葡萄球菌明显更多。lid 宏基因组富含糖酵解 III 和从头合成腺苷核苷酸以及 L-异亮氨酸生物合成的基因。在厚壁菌门和脂肪酸代谢之间，在根瘤菌属以及维生素 B1 合成和抗菌活性之间，以及在血红素、L-精氨酸、L-瓜氨酸和人类视觉的生物合成之间检测到相关性。
眼表微生物组与泪液蛋白质组相关，在人类免疫防御中起作用。这项研究对开发眼表相关疾病的治疗策略具有潜在影响。
