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Burcham ZM, Belk AD, McGivern BB, Bouslimani A, Ghadermazi P, Martino C, Shenhav L, Zhang AR, Shi P, Emmons A, Deel HL, Xu ZZ, Nieciecki V, Zhu Q, Shaffer M, Panitchpakdi M, Weldon KC, Cantrell K, Ben-Hur A, Reed SC, Humphry GC, Ackermann G, McDonald D, Chan SHJ, Connor M, Boyd D, Smith J, Watson JMS, Vidoli G, Steadman D, Lynne AM, Bucheli S, Dorrestein PC, Wrighton KC, Carter DO, Knight R, Metcalf JL. A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:595-613. [PMID: 38347104 PMCID: PMC10914610 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01580-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Microbial breakdown of organic matter is one of the most important processes on Earth, yet the controls of decomposition are poorly understood. Here we track 36 terrestrial human cadavers in three locations and show that a phylogenetically distinct, interdomain microbial network assembles during decomposition despite selection effects of location, climate and season. We generated a metagenome-assembled genome library from cadaver-associated soils and integrated it with metabolomics data to identify links between taxonomy and function. This universal network of microbial decomposers is characterized by cross-feeding to metabolize labile decomposition products. The key bacterial and fungal decomposers are rare across non-decomposition environments and appear unique to the breakdown of terrestrial decaying flesh, including humans, swine, mice and cattle, with insects as likely important vectors for dispersal. The observed lockstep of microbial interactions further underlies a robust microbial forensic tool with the potential to aid predictions of the time since death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M Burcham
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Aeriel D Belk
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Bridget B McGivern
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Amina Bouslimani
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Parsa Ghadermazi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Cameron Martino
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Liat Shenhav
- Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Systems Genetics, New York Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Computer Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anru R Zhang
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Pixu Shi
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alexandra Emmons
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Heather L Deel
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Zhenjiang Zech Xu
- School of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Victoria Nieciecki
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Qiyun Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael Shaffer
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Morgan Panitchpakdi
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kelly C Weldon
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kalen Cantrell
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Asa Ben-Hur
- Department of Computer Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sasha C Reed
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, USA
| | - Greg C Humphry
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Gail Ackermann
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Daniel McDonald
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Siu Hung Joshua Chan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Melissa Connor
- Forensic Investigation Research Station, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO, USA
| | - Derek Boyd
- Forensic Anthropology Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Department of Social, Cultural, and Justice Studies, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN, USA
| | - Jake Smith
- Forensic Anthropology Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Mid-America College of Funeral Service, Jeffersonville, IN, USA
| | - Jenna M S Watson
- Forensic Anthropology Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Giovanna Vidoli
- Forensic Anthropology Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Dawnie Steadman
- Forensic Anthropology Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Aaron M Lynne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA
| | - Sibyl Bucheli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA
| | - Pieter C Dorrestein
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kelly C Wrighton
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David O Carter
- Laboratory of Forensic Taphonomy, Forensic Sciences Unit, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jessica L Metcalf
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
- Humans and the Microbiome Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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