This illustration was created as a cover image submission for "Host-centric proteomics of stool: a novel strategy focused on intestinal responses to the gut microbiota" (Lichtman et al., Mol Cell Proteomics 2013). The goal was to convey the utility of using simple, defined bacterial communities as stepping stones to investigate more complex communities. I accomplished this by incorporating key aspects of the proteomics pipeline, including the enrichment of host proteins and resulting changes in mock chromatograms.