Metagenomic approach in study and treatment of various skin diseases: a brief review

Abstract

Background: Skin is a complex ecosystem hosting a diverse microbial population as well as distinct environmental niches leading to hundreds of skin conditions that affect humans. There is an evident shift towards the metagenomic analysis from less efficient and strenuous culture-based techniques in biomedical research, thus creating a new dimension for dermatological study. A systematic and comprehensive study of skin microbiome appraises the dynamics between species, their interaction with the immune system, and composition in diseases. Research: Metagenomics include research techniques like next-generation sequencing, sequencing of ampliconbased assays, shotgun metagenomics, gene prediction, metatranscriptomics, and statistical and comparative studies allowing us to access the functional and metabolic diversity of the skin microbiome and their role in host health. In disorders like acne, dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and bovine digital dermatitis, metagenomics provides information about the organisms present conferring the condition, inter-microbial interactions, and expression profiles of communities. Conclusion: We have enriched our understanding of the uncultured world resulting in a better understanding of microbe interaction with each other and their host. Metagenomic analysis provides glimpses into topographical and interpersonal complexity that defines the skin microbiome. It has led to an advanced study of dermatological disorders like acne, dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, bovine digital dermatitis, and psoriasis, and this knowledge is a breakthrough in dermatology research for creating better therapeutic solutions and personalized treatments.

Metagenomic profiling of viral and microbial communities from the pox lesions of lumpy skin disease virus and sheeppox virus-infected hosts

“…Despite the increasing amount of research on capripoxviruses, there are still considerable gaps in knowledge, especially concerning genetic diversity, host specificity, transmission pathways, and the differences in symptom severity between field outbreaks and experimental settings (12)(13)(14)(15). The skin typically harbors different bacterial and viral communities that can serve as subjects for metagenomic research under both natural and experimental conditions (16). However, despite skin lesions or scabs being the characteristic feature of capripoxvirus diseases, there is a lack of published knowledge regarding the bacterial and viral communities present in capripox-induced lesions.…”

Multi-omic approach to decipher the impact of skincare products with pre/postbiotics on skin microbiome and metabolome

“…Technical and analytical breakthroughs in sequencing and bioinformatics have enabled shotgun metagenomics to be a cost-effective tool to explore strain diversity and the functional potential of the microbiome ( 12 ). It has dominated in gut microbiome analysis, and now expanded to skin microbiome research ( 13 , 14 ). More recently, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics has emerged as a new tool to characterize the chemical makeup of the skin surface and correlate it with the microbes ( 15 ).…”