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Metagenome-wide association studies: fine-mining the microbiome
Jun Wang1,2, Huijue Jia2
1iCarbonX, Shahe Industrial Zone, No.4018 Qiaoxiang Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|July 12, 2016
Summary
Metagenome-wide association studies (MWAS) reveal links between gut microbes and diseases like diabetes and cancer. Understanding these microbial functions is key for future disease prevention and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Human health and disease
- Genomics and bioinformatics
Background:
- Metagenome-wide association studies (MWAS) have emerged as powerful tools for investigating the human microbiome.
- These studies allow for high-resolution analysis of associations between microbial composition and function with complex diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings from MWAS.
- To discuss the potential of MWAS in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
- To highlight the importance of characterizing microbial biology for disease association studies.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on MWAS.
- Analysis of associations between microbial taxa, functions, and complex diseases.
- Discussion of future implications and research needs.
Main Results:
- MWAS can identify associations beyond microbial abundance, including functional enrichments or depletions.
- Numerous associations have been found between the human microbiome and diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, liver cirrhosis, colorectal cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Conclusions:
- MWAS provide valuable insights into the role of the microbiome in complex diseases.
- Further characterization of microbial biology is essential for translating MWAS findings into clinical applications.
- MWAS hold promise for informing future strategies in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
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