Soumaya Zlitni, PhD, BS

Assistant Professor
Medicine
[email protected]
Research Description: 

In the Zlitni lab, we study the role of microbial communication in the assembly and function of the human microbiome, with a particular focus on how these interactions protect the host from infectious and chronic diseases. Trillions of microbes live on and inside our bodies, forming what can be described as an 'organ' that plays a critical role in health, physiology, and defense against pathogens. One of the field's biggest questions is how these microbes come together to form communities that perform essential functions for the host.
We combine microbiology, biochemistry, and advanced -omics technologies to investigate how microbial communication shapes both the assembly and function of the human microbiome. In addition to uncovering fundamental insights into microbial communication, we aim to leverage this knowledge to develop live biotherapeutic interventions that restore microbiota resilience when it has been compromised.

Primary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
Mechanisms of microbial communication in the human microbiome
Featured Publications: 

Dual quorum-sensing control of purine biosynthesis drives pathogenic fitness of Enterococcus faecalis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology

Zlitni S, Bowden S, Sberro H, Torres MDT, Vaughan JM, Pinto AFM, Pinto Y, Fernandez D, Röst H, Saghatelian A, de la Fuente-Nunez C, Bhatt AS

Gastrointestinal symptoms and fecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA suggest prolonged gastrointestinal infection.

Med (New York, N.Y.)

Natarajan A, Zlitni S, Brooks EF, Vance SE, Dahlen A, Hedlin H, Park RM, Han A, Schmidtke DT, Verma R, Jacobson KB, Parsonnet J, Bonilla HF, Singh U, Pinsky BA, Andrews JR, Jagannathan P, Bhatt AS

Strain-resolved microbiome sequencing reveals mobile elements that drive bacterial competition on a clinical timescale.

Genome medicine

Zlitni S, Bishara A, Moss EL, Tkachenko E, Kang JB, Culver RN, Andermann TM, Weng Z, Wood C, Handy C, Ji HP, Batzoglou S, Bhatt AS

Large-Scale Analyses of Human Microbiomes Reveal Thousands of Small, Novel Genes.

Cell

Sberro H, Fremin BJ, Zlitni S, Edfors F, Greenfield N, Snyder MP, Pavlopoulos GA, Kyrpides NC, Bhatt AS

Metabolic diversity in commensal protists regulates intestinal immunity and trans-kingdom competition.

Cell

Gerrick ER, Zlitni S, West PT, Carter MM, Mechler CM, Olm MR, Caffrey EB, Li JA, Higginbottom SK, Severyn CJ, Kracke F, Spormann AM, Sonnenburg JL, Bhatt AS, Howitt MR

Standardized preservation, extraction and quantification techniques for detection of fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

Nature communications

Natarajan A, Han A, Zlitni S, Brooks EF, Vance SE, Wolfe M, Singh U, Jagannathan P, Pinsky BA, Boehm A, Bhatt AS

Human gut microbiota after bariatric surgery alters intestinal morphology and glucose absorption in mice independently of obesity.

Gut

Anhê FF, Zlitni S, Zhang SY, Choi BS, Chen CY, Foley KP, Barra NG, Surette MG, Biertho L, Richard D, Tchernof A, Lam TKT, Marette A, Schertzer J

Gut microbiota impairs insulin clearance in obese mice.

Molecular metabolism

Foley KP, Zlitni S, Duggan BM, Barra NG, Anhê FF, Cavallari JF, Henriksbo BD, Chen CY, Huang M, Lau TC, Plante R, Schwab M, Marette A, Schertzer JD

Long term but not short term exposure to obesity related microbiota promotes host insulin resistance.

Nature communications

Foley KP, Zlitni S, Denou E, Duggan BM, Chan RW, Stearns JC, Schertzer JD