Systems of Integration: Metabolomic Signatures of Microbial Symbioses in Eubiosis and Dysbiosis

The study of microbial communities in the human host is a rapidly developing field that provides essential insights into health and disease. A critical aspect of these interactions is the production of microbial metabolites—small molecules, influencing host physiology, and acting as markers of either eubiosis (healthy symbiotic relationships) or dysbiosis (imbalanced interactions). With the advent of advanced metabolomics and systems biology, researchers have begun to uncover the metabolic interactions, offering insights into how microbial communities can affect immunity, metabolism, and the risk of disease.

This Research Topic aims to consolidate pioneering research, reviews, and methodological advancements in the study of microbial-metabolite interactions through systems of integration and omics technology. It seeks to explore and answer pertinent questions such as: What are the metabolomic signatures that differentiate eubiosis from dysbiosis in various states of health conditions? Which metabolic pathways are crucial in the microbial exchange between bacteria and their human hosts? How do specific microbial metabolites impact host health, and what implications do they have on immunity and disease?

To gather further insights into these dynamics, we seek contributions limited to the study of human-associated microbial communities and their metabolic interactions. We welcome articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Identification and characterization of metabolomic signatures in eubiosis and dysbiosis
• Exploration of metabolic pathways and their regulation between bacteria and hosts
• Investigations into how specific microbial metabolites affect host health, both in infectious and chronic diseases
• Application of systems biology and computational modeling to study metabolic models
• Translational and clinical perspectives of metabolomics in diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics
• Role of symbiotic metabolution in the host's adaptation and health.

We invite submissions of original research, reviews, mini-reviews and perspectives articles from both basic research and clinical perspectives, employing multi-omics approaches, experimental research, or computational modeling. Articles that connect microbial metabolomics with a systems-level understanding of host-microbe metabolic integration will provide valuable insights into the role of microbial symbioses as determinants of human health.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Microbiome, Metabolomics, Symbiosis, Eubiosis, Dysbiosis, Host–Microbe Interactions, Metabolic Networks, Functional Metabolomics, Microbial Dysregulation, Microbial Metabolites

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.