One Health seeks to integrate and balance the health of humans, animals, and environmental systems. These three spheres are intricately interconnected through microbiomes, which are universally present and exchange microbes and genes, influencing not only human and animal health but also key environmental, agricultural, and biotechnological processes. Preventing the emergence of pathogens as well as monitoring and controlling the composition of microbiomes through microbial effectors including virulence factors, toxins, antibiotics, non-ribosomal peptides, and viruses holds transformative potential. However, the mechanisms by which these microbial effectors shape microbiomes and their broader functional consequences in relation to host and ecosystem health remain poorly understood to date. Metaproteomics offers a novel methodological framework as it provides insights into microbial dynamics by quantifying microbial biomass composition, metabolic functions and detecting effectors like viruses, antimicrobial resistance proteins, and non-ribosomal peptides. Here, we document the potential of metaproteomics for elucidating microbial effectors and their impact on microbiomes, and discuss their potential for modulating microbiomes to foster desired functions.

The gut microbiome is an important contributor to the development and the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While changes in the gut microbiome composition were observed in response to IBD therapy using biologics, studies elucidating human and microbial proteins and pathways in dependence on therapy success are sparse. Fecal samples of a cohort of IBD patients were collected before and after 14 weeks of treatment with three different biologics. Clinical disease activity scores were used to determine the clinical response and remission. Fecal metaproteomes of remitting patients (n = 12) and of non-remitting patients (n = 12) were compared before treatment and changes within both groups were assessed over sampling time to identify functional changes and potential human and microbial biomarkers. The abundance of proteins associated with neutrophilic granulocytes, and immunoglobulins significantly decreased in remitting patients. There were changes in pathways of microbial metabolism in samples from patients with remission after therapy, including an increased butyrate fermentation. Distinct changes of proteins related to gut inflammation and gut microbiome metabolism showed whether IBD remission was achieved or not. This suggests that metaproteomics could be a useful tool for monitoring remission in IBD therapies. SIGNIFICANCE: IBD is rising in incidence, especially in newly industrialized countries, and the microbiome is an important contributor to its pathogenesis. Despite manifold therapeutical options, achieving remission is often ineffective, and choosing new alternative drugs remains often empirical. Therefore, efficient tools for monitoring therapeutic response and assessing the effectiveness of drugs in specific patients are mandatory. In the present study, we show that the use of metaproteomics is a promising avenue to address these challenges. We observed the amelioration of inflammation and restoration of a healthy microbiome in remitting patients in contrast to non-remitting patients. Therefore, metaproteomics is a valuable tool for monitoring the therapy success in IBD.

The effective operation, planning, and optimization of renewable energy production in anaerobic digestion (AD) plants relies on advanced process models, such as the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1). This study applies an ADM1-based model (ADM1da) to simulate a two-step digester in an industrial setting. The data demonstrate that 2.6% of the methane is lost as a result of open hydrolysis. Conversely, the incorporation of a hydrolysis fermenter enhances methane production by an average of 2.5%. Although ADM1-like models are widely recognized for accurately representing anaerobic digestion processes, mechanistic insights into the microbiome involved have been limited by the absence of tools to analyze microbial composition and functionality at the time these models were developed. To overcome this limitation, we utilized a metaproteomics approach to assess the abundance and biomass-correlated activity of microbial groups as defined by the model, aiming to bridge the gap between microbial ecology and bioprocess engineering in AD systems. We also developed and evaluated a series of rules for associating particular microbial species with functional groups of the model. Our analysis demonstrates that while the model supports the presence of a stable microbiome composition in the main fermenter, it is difficult to capture the dynamic behavior observed in the hydrolysis fermenter. Furthermore, the actual AD microbiome displays a greater versatility than the model assumes, with microorganisms performing multiple functions rather than being restricted to single roles. In conclusion, this study identifies options for improving AD models and integrating comprehensive biological knowledge to further optimize the performance of anaerobic digesters. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

A comprehensive understanding of microbial community dynamics is fundamental to the advancement of environmental microbiology, human health, and biotechnology. Metaproteomics, defined as the analysis of all proteins present within a microbial community, provides insights into these complex systems. Microbial adaptation and activity depend to an important extent on newly synthesized proteins (nP), however, the distinction between nP and bulk proteins is challenging. The application of BONCAT with click chemistry has demonstrated efficacy in the enrichment of nP in pure cultures for proteomics. However, the transfer of this technique to microbial communities and metaproteomics has proven challenging and thus it has not not been used on microbial communities before. To address this, a new workflow with efficient and specific nP enrichment was developed using a laboratory-scale mixture of labelled Escherichia coli and unlabeled yeast. This workflow was then successfully applied to an anaerobic microbial community with initially low bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging efficiency. A substrate shift from glucose to ethanol selectively enriched nP with minimal background. The identification of bifunctional alcohol dehydrogenase and a syntrophic interaction between an ethanol-utilizing bacterium and two methanogens (hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic) demonstrates the potential of metaproteomics targeting nP to trace microbial activity in complex microbial communities.

IntroductionPhages are viruses that infect prokaryotes and can shape microbial communities by lysis, thus offering applications in various fields. However, challenges exist in sampling, isolation and accurate prediction of the host specificity of phages as well as in the identification of newly replicated virions in response to environmental challenges.MethodsA new workflow using biorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) and click chemistry (CC) allowed the combined analysis of phages and their hosts, the identification of newly replicated virions, and the specific tagging of phages with biotin for affinity chromatography.ResultsReplication of phage λ in Escherichia coli was selected as a model for workflow development. Specific labeling of phage λ proteins with the non-canonical amino acid 4-azido-L-homoalanine (AHA) during phage development in E. coli was confirmed by LC–MS/MS. Subsequent tagging of AHA with fluorescent dyes via CC allowed the visualization of phages adsorbed to the cell surface by fluorescence microscopy. Flow cytometry enabled the automated detection of these fluorescent phage-host complexes. Alternatively, AHA-labeled phages were tagged with biotin for purification by affinity chromatography. Despite biotinylation the tagged phages could be purified and were infectious after purification.DiscussionApplying this approach to environmental samples would enable host screening without cultivation. A flexible and powerful workflow for the detection and enrichment of phages and their hosts in pure cultures has been established. The developed method lays the groundwork for future workflows that could enable the isolation of phage-host complexes from diverse complex microbial communities using fluorescence-activated cell sorting or biotin purification. The ability to expand and customize the workflow through the growing range of compounds for CC offers the potential to develop a versatile toolbox in phage research. This work provides a starting point for these further studies by providing a comprehensive standard operating procedure.

The yield and productivity of biogas plants depend on the degradation performance of their microbiomes. The spatial separation of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process into a separate hydrolysis and a main fermenter should improve cultivation conditions of the microorganisms involved in the degradation of complex substrates like lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) and, thus, the performance of anaerobic digesters. However, relatively little is known about such two-stage processes. Here, we investigated the process performance of a two-stage agricultural AD over one year, focusing on chemical and technical process parameters and metagenome-centric metaproteomics. Technical and chemical parameters indicated stable operation of the main fermenter but varying conditions for the open hydrolysis fermenter. Matching this, the microbiome in the hydrolysis fermenter has a higher dynamic than in the main fermenter. Metaproteomics-based microbiome analysis revealed a partial separation between early and common steps in carbohydrate degradation and primary fermentation in the hydrolysis fermenter but complex carbohydrate degradation, secondary fermentation, and methanogenesis in the main fermenter. Detailed metagenomics and metaproteomics characterization of the single metagenome-assembled genomes showed that the species focus on specific substrate niches and do not utilize their full genetic potential to degrade, for example, LCB. Overall, it seems that a separation of AD in a hydrolysis and a main fermenter does not improve the cleavage of complex substrates but significantly improves the overall process performance. In contrast, the remaining methanogenic activity in the hydrolysis fermenter may cause methane losses.

In anaerobic digestion plants (ADs), homogenization of the feed, fermenter content and microbial communities is crucial for efficient and robust biogas production. However, mixing also requires a significant amount of energy. For an 850 m(3) agricultural AD equipped with eight sampling ports, we investigated whether different feeding and stirring regimes enable a sufficient homogenization of the microbial community using metaproteomics and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis. Systematic comparison of samples taken at the top and the bottom as well as at the rim and the center of the AD using scatter plots and students t-test revealed only a small number of differences in metaproteins, taxonomies and biological processes. Obviously, the applied stirring and feeding conditions were sufficient to largely homogenize the content of the AD.

Disposal of waste sludges produced in large amounts in the pulp and paper industry imposes significant environmental and economical problems. One strategy to address these issues involves revalorization of paper mill sludges by their application as substrates for microbial production of biotechnologically relevant enzymes. The application of lignocellulolytic enzymes in paper, textile and bioenergy industries is encouraged in order to decrease chemicals and energy consumptions. In the following work, deinking sludge was assessed as a substrate for production of lignocellulases. Based on the results of growth and activity screenings, Pleurotus ostreatus PLAB was chosen as the most promising candidate among 30 tested strains and its secretome was further studied by quantitative enzyme assays and mass spectrometry. While endoglucanase and xylanase activities detected in P. ostreatus secretome produced on deinking sludge were similar to activities of cultures grown on other lignocellulosic substrates, average laccase activity was significantly higher (46 000 U/kg (DIS)). Mass spectrometry identification of the most prominent proteins in the secretome of the target strain confirmed that significant amounts of different lignin-modifying oxidases were produced on this substrate despite its low lignin content, indicating the presence of other inducible compounds. The findings of this study suggest deinking sludge may represent a good substrate for fungal production of the aforementioned enzymes with broad biotechnological applications, including bioremediation, paper and bioenergy industries. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.