Microbiome Science and Biotechnologies
The object of our research are the planet microbiomes, as the life support system for the whole biosphere. Microbiomes are indeed responsible for oxygen production, global nutrient circulation, plant primary productivity, and animal and human health. This microbiome centrality for the planet health translates into multiple fields of application of our research, from human, animal and plant biology, where we explore the microbiome-host co-evolutionary trajectories and the impact on health and disease, to food production, resource circularization and environmental health, where natural microbiomes represent a promising source of sustainable solutions. Our primary goal is indeed to derive concrete microbiome-based applications for a better and more sustainable planet, targeting some of the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, such as good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, climate action, life below water and life on land.
Role of the human intestinal microbiota in the biology of the mammalian metaorganism, an evolutionary perspective
Symbiont microbial communities had a role of primary importance in the mammalian evolution. Conferring a high degree of plasticity to the host organism, microbial communities represent strategic drivers of the metaorganism adaptive processes. In this scenario, our research activity is aimed to explore the mechanism involved in microbe-host co-evolution dynamics. Approaches of genomics, metabolomics, culturomics and system biology are applied to this purpose, allowing to dissect how intestinal microbes (gut microbiota) complement the host phenotype, conferring essential physiological features for the host biology.
Role of microbial ecosystems in holobionts populating soil and marine environments
Recent advance in genomics and molecular microbiology shed lights on the importance of symbiont microbial communities on the biology of several organisms, recently revised as holobionts, being the result of a close interaction with hosted bacterial communities (microbiota). Potentially, all the complex organisms populating terrestrial and marine ecosystems exist and evolved as holobionts, and their genetic potential should be considered in the frame of their hologenomics, as well as their metabolism should be revised as co-metabolism. Understanding how symbiont communities contribute to the host phenotype it thus an emerging biological challenge, pawing the way to a next generation view of the biology of living organisms. We aim to pioneer this field, exploring the functionalities of the symbiont microbial communities in the holobiont context. Our research involve omics (mainly genomics and metabolomics) and system biology applied in the field of microbial ecology and host biology.
