Major
Molecular Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
May 2020
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
There is growing evidence suggesting that steroid hormone levels can influence gut microbiota, and potentially vice versa. In this work, we are testing the hypothesis that female steroid hormones, including estrogen and progesterone and their synthetic analogs, may be influencing the structure and function of the human gut microbiome. We have collected gut microbiota from healthy individuals and used an in vitro culture system to expose these communities to varying types and dosages of steroid hormones alongside relevant controls. Timecourse sampling was performed and the results assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of these communities. Using the Dada2 pipeline, Phyloseq, and MicrobiomeAnalyst in the bioinformatic assessment, we were able to ascertain the alterations in the microbial communities as a function of a variety of steroid hormones across time and dosage.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Michael Burns, Assistant Professor, Biology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Robustness of Cancer Microbiome Studies and Human Steroid Hormones Influence Gut Microbial Community Structure
There is growing evidence suggesting that steroid hormone levels can influence gut microbiota, and potentially vice versa. In this work, we are testing the hypothesis that female steroid hormones, including estrogen and progesterone and their synthetic analogs, may be influencing the structure and function of the human gut microbiome. We have collected gut microbiota from healthy individuals and used an in vitro culture system to expose these communities to varying types and dosages of steroid hormones alongside relevant controls. Timecourse sampling was performed and the results assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of these communities. Using the Dada2 pipeline, Phyloseq, and MicrobiomeAnalyst in the bioinformatic assessment, we were able to ascertain the alterations in the microbial communities as a function of a variety of steroid hormones across time and dosage.