Shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis of ocular surface microbiome in Singapore residents with mild dry eye

Tong, Louis1,2,3,4; Constancias, Florentin5; Hou, Aihua1,3; Chua, Song Lin6; Drautz-Moses, Daniela I.5; Schuster, Stephan Christoph5,7; Yang, Liang5,8; Williams, Rohan B. H.5,9; Kjelleberg, Staffan5,7,10

2022-11-10

10.3389/fmed.2022.1034131

FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE   Impact Factor & Quartile

2296-858X

The ocular surface microbiome has implications for ocular surface inflammation and immunology. Previous shotgun metagenomics analyses were performed in China, showing results that differed according to environment and age. Patients with Sjogren's syndrome were reported to have altered conjunctival microbiome, but such studies have not been done in milder dry eye. The aim of this study is to describe the conjunctival microbiome in people with mild dry eye in Singapore. Samples were collected from 14 participants with mild dry eye and 10 age-matched comparison participants recruited from Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) clinics. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis was employed to evaluate the conjunctival microbiome composition. Proteobacteria formed the predominant phylum in the conjunctiva. As in a study from a coastal city in China, Achromobacter spp. was numerically most abundant. Compared to age-matched controls, the conjunctival microbial composition in mild dry eye was similar. Several microorganisms, including Streptococcus spp. increased in representation with age, and the abundance of Staphylococcus correlated with Schirmer readings. In addition, when cultured corneal epithelial cells were exposed to three strains of Achromobacter xylosoxidans, cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6 were upregulated in the cell lysates and supernatants. Ourresults suggest that age is an important factor that affects composition of the conjunctival microbiome, and relative abundance of specific microorganism may vary according to the environment of the human host.

human microbiome inflammation ocular disease dry eye metagenomics

SCI

English

Others

General & Internal Medicine

Medicine, General & Internal

WOS:000889208900001

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA

Web of Science

1.Singapore Eye Res Inst, Ocular Surface Res Grp, Singapore, Singapore
2.Singapore Natl Eye Ctr, Corneal & External Eye Dis Serv, Singapore, Singapore
3.Duke NUS Med Sch, Off Clin Acad & Fac Affairs, Eye Acad Clin Programme, Singapore, Singapore
4.Natl Univ Singapore, Yong Loo Lin Sch Med, Dept Ophthalmol, Singapore, Singapore
5.Nanyang Technol Univ, Singapore Ctr Environm Life Sci Engn SCELSE, Singapore, Singapore
6.Nanyang Technol Univ, Lee Kong Chian Sch Med LKCMed, Singapore, Singapore
7.Nanyang Technol Univ, Sch Biol Sci, Singapore, Singapore
8.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Med, Shenzhen, Peoples R China
9.Natl Univ Singapore, Life Sci Inst, Singapore, Singapore
10.Univ New South Wales, Ctr Marine Sci & Innovat, Sch Biol Earth & Environm Sci, Kensington, NSW, Australia

Tong, Louis,Constancias, Florentin,Hou, Aihua,et al. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis of ocular surface microbiome in Singapore residents with mild dry eye[J]. FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE,2022,9.

Tong, Louis.,Constancias, Florentin.,Hou, Aihua.,Chua, Song Lin.,Drautz-Moses, Daniela I..,...&Kjelleberg, Staffan.(2022).Shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis of ocular surface microbiome in Singapore residents with mild dry eye.FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE,9.

Tong, Louis,et al."Shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis of ocular surface microbiome in Singapore residents with mild dry eye".FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE 9(2022).