Disentangling host-microbiota complexity through hologenomics

Hologenomic studies aim to further our understanding of host-microbiota interactions through the integrated analysis of host genomes and microbiota metagenomes. Here, Alberdi and colleagues discuss key considerations for designing optimal hologenomic studies and outline important biological questions that these studies can address. Research on animal-microbiota interactions has become a central topic in biological sciences because of its relevance to basic eco-evolutionary processes and applied questions in agriculture and health. However, animal hosts and their associated microbial communities are still seldom studied in a systemic fashion. Hologenomics, the integrated study of the genetic features of a eukaryotic host alongside that of its associated microbes, is becoming a feasible - yet still underexploited - approach that overcomes this limitation. Acknowledging the biological and genetic properties of both hosts and microbes, along with the advantages and disadvantages of implemented techniques, is essential for designing optimal studies that enable some of the major questions in biology to be addressed.

Automated summary

Hologenomic studies integrate host genomes and microbiota metagenomes to explore host-microbiota interactions, which have become a central topic in the biological sciences. Hologenomics offers a feasible approach to overcoming limitations in the study of animal-microbiota interactions and addresses important questions in biology.