Microbiomes in One Health – Doctoral Training Unit
P13: Dark Matter, the Exposome and the Microbiome
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- P13: Dark Matter, the Exposome and the Microbiome
Principal Investigator Emma Schymanski
Host Institution LCSB
Project Research Question: The role of the microbiome in transformation of xenobiotics
Abstract
This project will work towards the comprehensive characterization of the “dark matter” in the microbiome and the exposome, using non-target analysis techniques. A variety of exposure scenarios using the HuMiX set-up will explore how xenobiotics are transformed in the microbiome (analogous to e.g. biotransformation experiments in classic environmental transformation product elucidation). Additional labelling experiments will be used to support identification (e.g. hydrogen-deuterium exchange or stable labelling with isotopically-labeled substrates) and perform credentialing of metabolic products. Data analysis will focus on the establishment of workflows for comprehensive identification and incorporation of latest predictive approaches in the prioritization of unknowns of interest. Data mining using substructure recognition will be used to isolate major substance classes of interest for further elucidation efforts. Spectra of features clearly associated with changes in the samples, whether they be known, tentative or unknown, will be saved in central repositories to enhance the exchange of information on “dark matter” to improve the global characterization of unknown signals in untargeted mass spectrometry.
Methods
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Untargeted LC- MS/MS with complementary analytical techniques
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Data analysis and workflows in R and other open source software
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Selective labelling experiments to enhance structural knowledge
