School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China.
ISME J. 2024 Jan 8;18(1). doi: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae218.
Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in polluted air influences the composition of the skin microbiome, which in turn is associated with altered skin phenotypes. However, the interactions between PAH exposure and viromes are unclear. This study aims to elucidate how PAH exposure affects the composition and function of skin viruses, their role in shaping the metabolism of bacterial hosts, and the subsequent effects on skin phenotype. We analyzed metagenomes from cheek skin swabs collected from 124 Chinese women in our previous study and found that the viruses associated with the two microbiome cutotypes had distinct diversities, compositions, functions, and lifestyles following PAH exposure. Moreover, exposure to high concentrations of PAHs substantially increased interactions between viruses and certain biodegrading bacteria. Under high-PAH exposure, the viruses were enriched in xenobiotic degradation functions, and there was evidence suggesting that the insertion of bacteriophage-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes into hosts aids biodegradation. Under low-PAH exposure conditions, the interactions followed the "Piggyback-the-Winner" model, with Cutibacterium acnes being "winners," whereas under high-PAH exposure, they followed the "Piggyback-the-Persistent" model, with biodegradation bacteria being "persistent." These findings highlight the impact of air pollutants on skin bacteria and viruses, their interactions, and their modulation of skin health. Understanding these intricate relationships could provide insights for developing targeted strategies to maintain skin health in polluted environments, emphasizing the importance of mitigating pollutant exposure and harnessing the potential of viruses to help counteract the adverse effects.
多环芳烃（PAHs）在污染空气中的暴露会影响皮肤微生物组的组成，而皮肤微生物组的组成又与皮肤表型的改变有关。然而，PAH 暴露与病毒组之间的相互作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在阐明 PAH 暴露如何影响皮肤病毒的组成和功能，它们在塑造细菌宿主代谢中的作用，以及随后对皮肤表型的影响。我们分析了我们之前研究中从 124 名中国女性脸颊皮肤拭子中收集的宏基因组，并发现与两种微生物组 cutotypes 相关的病毒在 PAH 暴露后具有不同的多样性、组成、功能和生活方式。此外，高浓度 PAHs 的暴露大大增加了病毒和某些可生物降解细菌之间的相互作用。在高 PAH 暴露下，病毒在异生物质降解功能中富集，并且有证据表明噬菌体编码的辅助代谢基因插入宿主有助于生物降解。在低 PAH 暴露条件下，相互作用遵循“搭便车的赢家”模式，痤疮丙酸杆菌是“赢家”，而在高 PAH 暴露下，它们遵循“搭便车的持久”模式，可生物降解细菌是“持久的”。这些发现强调了空气污染物对皮肤细菌和病毒的影响，它们的相互作用，以及它们对皮肤健康的调节。了解这些复杂的关系可以为开发针对污染环境下皮肤健康的靶向策略提供思路，强调减轻污染物暴露和利用病毒潜力来帮助抵消负面影响的重要性。
