Divine Aleru, Microbiome Signatures Research Coordinator

This study explores the role of metallochaperones in bacteria, focusing on how they deliver essential metal ions to metalloproteins and maintain metal homeostasis under metal stress. These mechanisms are vital for bacterial survival, especially during infection.

This study explores the effects of oxidative stress on metallation in E. coli enzymes, focusing on the competition between iron, zinc, and manganese for enzyme binding sites, and the protective role of manganese in restoring enzyme activity.

The study investigates the metal preferences and metallation processes of enzymes, particularly focusing on the role of metal ions in metalloenzyme function. It explores how cells regulate the binding of metals to enzymes and how these metals impact enzymatic activity. The study also delves into the competitive nature of metal ions such […]

This study investigates the role of metal ions in enzyme catalysis and their implications for human health. It specifically looks at the biochemical roles of essential metal ions, such as zinc, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese, in various enzymatic processes. These ions are vital cofactors for numerous metalloenzymes that facilitate catalytic reactions, […]

The study focuses on the metallation and mismetallation of iron and manganese proteins, with specific attention to class I ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs). The research explores the challenges organisms face when inserting the correct metal into proteins that require them for biological function. These enzymes are important for deoxynucleotide production in both eukaryotes […]

Functional shielding describes the body’s active, layered defenses that prevent harm without relying solely on “walls” like skin or mucus. On a clinical level, the microbiome is central to this concept because it behaves like a living protective system: it limits pathogen growth through competitive exclusion, shapes local immune readiness, and generates metabolites that reinforce epithelial integrity. In the gut, colonization resistance emerges from a mix of nutrient competition, antimicrobial production, bile-acid transformation, and short-chain fatty acid signaling that supports tight junctions and antimicrobial peptide expression. When this shield is disrupted, most notably after broad-spectrum antibiotics, opportunists such as Clostridioides difficile can expand, illustrating how loss of microbial protection translates into disease risk.

This systematic review shows that dietary interventions shape the gut microbiome in ways that significantly influence cancer immunotherapy response, with fiber-rich diets enhancing microbial diversity, antitumor immunity, and treatment outcomes, while Western diets and some probiotics impair response.

This review evaluates probiotic supplementation in preterm infants, showing strong evidence for reduced necrotizing enterocolitis and mortality, minimal impact on late-onset sepsis, and a low but real risk of probiotic-associated infection when gut integrity is compromised.

This review explains how oral streptococci shape biofilm formation, regulate microbial balance, and influence oral and systemic health through niche-specific adaptations.

This study shows that the nasal commensal Staphylococcus lugdunensis blocks Staphylococcus aureus colonization by stealing its iron-scavenging molecules, revealing a precise microbiome-based mechanism of colonization resistance.

This review explains how the oral microecosystem serves as a major source of lung microbes and a regulator of respiratory infection, inflammation, and disease severity.

This review explains how vaginal lactobacilli protect against viral sexually transmitted infections by strengthening epithelial barriers, reducing inflammation, and directly inactivating viruses.

This review explains how the vaginal microbiome regulates immune balance, protects against infection, and influences reproductive and gynecologic health.

This review explains how Staphylococcus epidermidis supports skin immunity and barrier function while also acting as a leading opportunistic pathogen. Strain diversity, host context, and microbial interactions determine whether it protects against disease or contributes to inflammation, biofilm infections, and antibiotic resistance.

This review explains how skin microbes shape immune tolerance, barrier defense, and inflammation in health and skin disease.

This review explains how food antigens, gut microbes, and intestinal permeability interact to shape immune tolerance and drive inflammatory disease.

This review explains how the microbiota trains, regulates, and sustains immune function while preventing inflammatory and autoimmune disease.

This review explains how intestinal bacterial biofilms directly modulate mucosal immunity and drive inflammation through structured microbial–host interactions.

This study shows that the antibacterial lectin RegIIIγ maintains a physical barrier between gut microbes and the intestinal lining, preventing immune overactivation.

This review explains how commensal microbiota continuously prime and regulate immune function, shaping tolerance, inflammation control, and pathogen defense.

This review explains how the microbiome controls mucosal immunity by regulating Tregs and Th17 cells and how dysbiosis drives inflammation and disease.

This review explains how the gut microbiome actively shapes immune development, antimicrobial defense, and inflammatory balance through microbial signals and metabolites.

This study shows that gut microbiota–derived propionate induces Reg3 antimicrobial lectins and protects against experimental colitis by promoting epithelial defense and regeneration.

This review explains how microbiota-derived butyrate supports gut barrier function, immune balance, and metabolic health, and why restoring microbial butyrate production is critical for treating gastrointestinal disease.