The molecular impact of life in an indoor environment

Alexander A Aksenov; Rodolfo A Salido; Alexey V Melnik; Caitriona Brennan; Asker Brejnrod; Andrés Mauricio Caraballo-Rodríguez; Julia M Gauglitz; Franck Lejzerowicz; Delphine K Farmer; Marina E Vance; Rob Knight; Pieter C Dorrestein

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn8016

The molecular impact of life in an indoor environment

Sci Adv. 2022 Jun 24;8(25):eabn8016. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn8016. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Authors

Alexander A Aksenov^{1

2

3}, Rodolfo A Salido^{4

5}, Alexey V Melnik^{1

2

3}, Caitriona Brennan^{4

6}, Asker Brejnrod^{1

2}, Andrés Mauricio Caraballo-Rodríguez^{1

2}, Julia M Gauglitz^{1

2}, Franck Lejzerowicz^{4

6}, Delphine K Farmer⁷, Marina E Vance⁸, Rob Knight^{4

5

6

9}, Pieter C Dorrestein^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Skaggs of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
² Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
⁴ Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
⁵ Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
⁸ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
⁹ Department of Computer Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.

Abstract

The chemistry of indoor surfaces and the role of microbes in shaping and responding to that chemistry are largely unexplored. We found that, over 1 month, people's presence and activities profoundly reshaped the chemistry of a house. Molecules associated with eating/cooking, bathroom use, and personal care were found throughout the entire house, while molecules associated with medications, outdoor biocides, and microbially derived compounds were distributed in a location-dependent manner. The house and its microbial occupants, in turn, also introduced chemical transformations such as oxidation and transformations of foodborne molecules. The awareness of and the ability to observe the molecular changes introduced by people should influence future building designs.