Microbiome structure and function: A new framework for interpreting data

Gregor P. Greslehner (1)

1 ImmunoConcept - Immunology from Concept and Experiments to Translation

I suggest a distinction between different notions of ‘structure’ and ‘function’ for interpreting the overwhelming amount of data on microbiome structure and function: sequence data, biochemical agents, interaction networks, taxonomic communities, and their dynamics can be linked to potential or actual biochemical activities, causal roles, and selected effects, respectively. This conceptual clarification has important methodological consequences for how to interpret existing data and approach open questions in contemporary microbiome research practice. In particular, the field will have to start thinking about notions of function more directly.

Mots clés: microbiome; structure; function; research practice; sequence data; taxonomic composition

Domaines: Biologie moléculaire; Réseaux moléculaires [q-bio.MN]; Philosophie

Gregor P. Greslehner. Microbiome structure and function: A new framework for interpreting data. BioEssays, 2020, 42 (7), pp.1900255. ⟨10.1002/bies.201900255⟩. ⟨hal-02558255⟩