cimb-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Molecular and Omics Insights into Microbiome–Host Interactions in Health and Disease

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 4593

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, UK
2. National Horizons Centre, Teesside University, Darlington DL1 1HG, UK
Interests: bioinformatics; genomics and systems biology; computational approaches; biological systems; human disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The microbiome is fundamental in shaping host physiology, metabolism, immunity, and disease susceptibility across diverse biological systems. Advances in molecular biology and omics technologies have significantly expanded our understanding of microbiome–host interactions, revealing complex, bidirectional communication networks at genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic levels. This Special Issue focuses on molecular and omics-driven insights into how microbial communities interact with their hosts in both health and disease contexts. Topics of interest include functional microbiome profiling, host–microbe metabolic crosstalk, tissue- or niche-specific microbiomes, and the molecular mechanisms underlying nutrition, development, and pathological processes. Studies employing integrative multi-omics approaches, innovative experimental models, and advanced bioinformatic analyses are particularly welcome. By bringing together research across species, tissues, and methodological platforms, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and mechanistic perspective on microbiome–host interactions and highlight emerging concepts with translational relevance for human health, agriculture, and biotechnology.

Dr. Shweta Kuba
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microbiome
  • host–microbe interactions
  • multi-omics
  • molecular mechanisms
  • health and disease

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 7271 KB  
Article
Nocturnal Melatonin Amplitude Collapse Is Associated with Age-Independent Convergence of Microbiome and Glymphatic Biomarkers
by Alexandre Tavartkiladze, Levan Tavartkiladze, Russel J. Reiter, Michel Burnier, Dinara Kasradze, Nana Okrostsvaridze, Pati Revazishvili and Revaz Turmanidze
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2026, 48(5), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48050515 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 4222
Abstract
Circadian desynchronization is increasingly linked to metabolic, immune, neurocognitive, and oncological disease, but integrated clinical phenotyping across endocrine, microbiome, metabolic, and neuroimaging domains remains limited. We conducted a prospective, single-centre, observational study in 179 symptomatic patients referred for chronic multisystem features consistent with [...] Read more.
Circadian desynchronization is increasingly linked to metabolic, immune, neurocognitive, and oncological disease, but integrated clinical phenotyping across endocrine, microbiome, metabolic, and neuroimaging domains remains limited. We conducted a prospective, single-centre, observational study in 179 symptomatic patients referred for chronic multisystem features consistent with circadian dysregulation and 107 practically healthy controls. Circadian melatonin status was assessed using fractionated 24 h urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) and standardized dim-light plasma sampling at daytime (14:00–16:00) and nocturnal (02:00–04:00) windows. Microbiome composition was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing, urolithin A by targeted metabolomics, and putative glymphatic/perivascular clearance by MRI-derived DTI-ALPS index, perivascular space scoring, and white-matter-hyperintensity (WMH) volumetry. Patients showed markedly reduced nocturnal melatonin output and loss of day–night contrast (night aMT6s 10.2 vs. 40.6 ng/mL; urinary aMT6s day/night ratio 0.81 vs. 0.14; plasma nocturnal melatonin 12.7 vs. 54.4 pg/mL; all p < 0.0001), accompanied by altered cortisol day–night patterning. Patients also showed reduced microbiome diversity, depletion of Gordonibacter and Ellagibacter, lower plasma urolithin A, higher WMH volume and perivascular space scores, and a lower DTI-ALPS index. Age distributions broadly overlapped in the individual-level dataset, and key biomarkers were not significantly correlated with chronological age within the patient cohort; however, this finding is interpreted as an exploratory absence of detectable age gradient within the symptomatic cohort, not as proof of biological age-independence. Overall, the data support a coherent cross-sectional association among blunted nocturnal melatonin rhythmicity, dysbiosis/urolithin depletion, and MRI markers compatible with impaired perivascular clearance. The MGM axis framework should be regarded as hypothesis-generating; causal direction, melatonin receptor involvement, and AQP4-related mechanisms require longitudinal and mechanistic validation. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop