互作转录组测序技术在微生物研究中的应用进展

Application Progress of Dual RNA Sequencing in Microbial Research

人体内定植着数量庞大、结构复杂的微生物群,微生物群之间、微生物群及宿主细胞间存在着复杂的相互作用。互作转录组测序技术(dual RNA sequencing,Dual RNA-seq)可同时分析两个(或多个)互作物种间基因表达的动态变化,并通过互作模型图获得物种间基因的调控关系,得到物种间的相互作用机制。本文就近年来Dual RNA-seq技术在肠道、呼吸道、皮肤及口腔微生物研究中的应用现状及发展前景作一综述。自Dual RNA-seq的概念被引入以来,该技术已被应用于一系列感染模型。在分子水平上直接研究物种间动态相互作用,有助于更好地理解感染过程中病原体和宿主的生理变化,从而揭示潜在的新靶点或生物标志物。但是,Dual RNA-seq目前仍然处于起步阶段,在实验技术方面存在一定的局限性,比如由于物种间的相互作用是动态变化的,最佳实验条件以及采样点的选择以及如何实现实时观测是亟需解决的难题;此外,由于Dual RNA-seq的生物信息学数据量大,如何快速灵活地处理互作信息仍然需要进一步的探索。

The human body is colonized by densely-populated and structurally complex communities of microorganisms.The microbiota interact not only with their host cells,but also with other microbiota.Dual RNA sequencing(Dual RNA-seq)can be used to conduct simultaneous analysis of the dynamic changes of gene expression of two(or more)interactive species,and to obtain thus,through the interaction model diagram,the inter-species regulatory relationship of genes of different species,and hence the interaction mechanism between species.We herein reviewed the application status and development prospects of Dual RNA-seq in the research of intestinal,respiratory,skin and oral microbes.Since the concept of Dual RNA-seq was first introduced,the technology has been applied to a range of infection models.Direct investigation into the dynamic interactions between species at the molecular level will contribute to the better understanding of the physiological changes of pathogens and hosts during the course of infection,and thus help reveal potential new targets or biomarkers.However,the Dual RNA-seq technology is still in its early stage of development,and there are some limitations in the experimental technology.For example,due to the dynamic nature of the interaction between species,there are urgent problems awaiting solutions,such as the optimal experimental conditions,the selection of sampling sites and how to achieve real-time observation.In addition,due to the large amount of bioinformatics data of Dual RNA-seq,further research is needed to explore for ways to process the interaction information quickly and flexibly.