Microbial functional pathways based on metatranscriptomic profiling enable effective saliva-based health assessments...

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Oral health
• Metatranscriptomics

Background:

• Accurate health biomarkers are crucial for improving overall health.
• The oral cavity harbors molecular activities that can serve as health indicators.
• Metatranscriptomic data offers a window into microbial functional pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general methodology for computationally quantifying microbial functional pathway activity from metatranscriptomic data.
• To implement and validate oral pathway scores using large salivary datasets.
• To assess the association of these scores with oropharyngeal disease phenotypes.

Main Methods:

• Developed a computational methodology to quantify microbial functional pathway activity.
• Implemented eight oral pathway scores using a large salivary sample dataset (n=9350).
• Validated the scores by evaluating associations with oropharyngeal disease phenotypes in an independent cohort (n=14,129).

Main Results:

• Oral pathway scores were significantly worse in individuals with periodontal disease compared to controls.
• Individuals with acid reflux showed significantly worse oral pathway scores.
• Nicotine addiction was also associated with significantly worse oral pathway scores.

Conclusions:

• Oral pathway scores derived from saliva are valuable molecular health insights.
• These scores can serve as molecular endpoints for interventions targeting associated conditions.
• Non-invasive saliva samples can provide actionable molecular health information.