Bioactive Plasmid- and Phage-Encoded Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) in the Human Gut: A Metatranscriptome-Virome Profiling Reveals Exploratory Links to Metabolic Human Diseases.

ABSTRACT: Microbe-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can shape gut community structure; however, their contribution to disease-associated dysbiosis remains poorly understood. We assembled fecal metatranscriptomes from individuals with normal weight (NW), obesity (O), and obesity with metabolic syndrome (OMS), yielding 51,087 non-human transcripts. We screened 1,095 small open reading frames (smORFs) using AMP-prediction algorithms combined with stringent post-hoc bioinformatics filters identifying 51 high-confidence AMP candidates. Most matched bacterial homologs, predominantly Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, while eight mapped to plasmids or bacteriophages. Differential expression identified two and four AMPs overexpressed in O and OMS, respectively. Two of them were originated from chromosomes, t

SUBMITTER: Gallardo-Becerra L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12775044 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature