Navpreet Ranu (Blainey Lab)

Towards Community Scale Microbial Single Cell Genomics

Microbial communities have been shown to have an impact on human health and the environment. Common approaches to study these systems include 16s ribosomal RNA and metagenomics which provide information on the identity and potential function of bacteria in an environment but linking the two remains difficult. Here we show a gel droplet approach to amplify single cell genomes and integrate these cells with sequencing library preparation to maintain the link between bacterial identity and potential function.

Wesley Chen (Ribbeck Lab)

Saliva and Salivary Muc5b Inhibit Genetic Transformation of Cavity-causing Streptococcus Mutans

While saliva is typically considered to be a simple physical barrier against microbial invasion, recent discoveries suggest that saliva plays a more active role in maintaining the human microbiota. However, knowledge of how saliva influences microbial physiology is severely lacking. Here, we show that human saliva inhibits horizontal gene transfer in the cavity-causing bacterium Streptococcus mutans. Moreover, we identify the mucin glycoprotein Muc5b as a primary agent responsible for the inhibitory properties of saliva.