Viroids detected in the human microbiome

About obelisks that have colonized and gone unnoticed in human and global microbiomes. Recommended reading.

Authors observations identify obelisks as a class of diverse RNAs of yet-to-be-determined impact that have colonized and gone unnoticed in human and global microbiomes.
 
In their article Ivan N. Zheludev, Robert C. Edgar, Maria Jose Lopez-Galiano, Marcos de la Peña, Artem Babaian, Ami S. Bhatt and Andrew Z. Fire highlight that:

• Obelisks are a phylogenetically distinct group of microbiome-associated, viroid-like RNAs
• Found globally in diverse niches, obelisks also occur in human stool and oral microbiomes
• The human oral bacterium Streptococcus sanguinis SK36 harbors a distinct “obelisk-S.s”
• Under replete growth conditions, obelisk-S.s appears to be disposable for SK36 growth 

Find out more on Science Direct article titled Viroid-like colonists of human microbiomes (2024) by authors Ivan N. Zheludev, Robert C. Edgar, Maria Jose Lopez-Galiano, Marcos de la Peña, Artem Babaian, Ami S. Bhatt and Andrew Z. Fire.