ABC-HuMi: the Atlas of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in the Human Microbiome

Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Jan 5;52(D1):D579-D585. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkad1086.

Abstract

The human microbiome has emerged as a rich source of diverse and bioactive natural products, harboring immense potential for therapeutic applications. To facilitate systematic exploration and analysis of its biosynthetic landscape, we present ABC-HuMi: the Atlas of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs) in the Human Microbiome. ABC-HuMi integrates data from major human microbiome sequence databases and provides an expansive repository of BGCs compared to the limited coverage offered by existing resources. Employing state-of-the-art BGC prediction and analysis tools, our database ensures accurate annotation and enhanced prediction capabilities. ABC-HuMi empowers researchers with advanced browsing, filtering, and search functionality, enabling efficient exploration of the resource. At present, ABC-HuMi boasts a catalog of 19 218 representative BGCs derived from the human gut, oral, skin, respiratory and urogenital systems. By capturing the intricate biosynthetic potential across diverse human body sites, our database fosters profound insights into the molecular repertoire encoded within the human microbiome and offers a comprehensive resource for the discovery and characterization of novel bioactive compounds. The database is freely accessible at https://www.ccb.uni-saarland.de/abc_humi/.

MeSH terms

  • Biosynthetic Pathways* / genetics
  • Computational Biology / instrumentation
  • Databases, Genetic*
  • Humans
  • Internet
  • Metagenome / genetics
  • Microbiota* / genetics
  • Multigene Family* / genetics