Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Sarah Mansour, Tahreem Asrar, Wael Elhenawy
Summary: The surge in inflammatory bowel diseases indicates the potential role of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) strains as disease modifiers. Understanding AIEC pathogenesis, including their metabolic versatility, evasion of host defense mechanisms, and promotion of inflammation, is crucial for developing antimicrobials that can selectively eradicate CD-associated bacteria.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Xiaoqiang Chai, Jie Wang, Huanping Li, Chao Gao, Shuangqi Li, Chuanyuan Wei, Jianhang Huang, Yingming Tian, Jian Yuan, Jiacheng Lu, Dongmei Gao, Yimin Zheng, Cheng Huang, Jian Zhou, Guoming Shi, Aiwu Ke, Feng Liu, Jia Fan, Jiabin Cai
Summary: This study characterizes the bacterial metagenomics signature of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) tissues and investigates their potential as anticancer agents. The presence of intratumoral bacteria, including P. fungorum, was found in multiple cell types. P. fungorum was shown to possess antitumor activity by inhibiting tumor growth through alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Shraddheya Kumar Patel, Satya Ranjan Sahu, Bhabasha Gyanadeep Utkalaja, Swagata Bose, Narottam Acharya
Summary: This study reveals the important role of Pol32 in C. albicans genome plasticity and life cycle, showing its critical impact on DNA replication, cell cycle progression, and genome stability. Furthermore, the loss of Pol32 also leads to cell wall deformity, increased drug resistance, biofilm development, and complete attenuation of virulence in the host immune system. These findings contribute to the development of antifungal drugs and whole-cell vaccines.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Yifei Shen, Wenxin Qu, Fei Yu, Dan Zhang, Qianda Zou, Dongsheng Han, Mengxiao Xie, Xiao Chen, Lingjun Yuan, Bin Lou, Guoliang Xie, Ruonan Wang, Xianzhi Yang, Weizhen Chen, Qi Wang, Yun Teng, Yuejiao Dong, Li Huang, Jiaqi Bao, Chang Liu, Wei Wu, Enhui Shen, Longjiang Fan, Michael P. Timko, Shufa Zheng, Yu Chen
Summary: This study analyzed respiratory tract and gut samples from COVID-19 patients and found that ICU patients had an increased abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in their respiratory tract and gut compared to non-ICU patients. These ARGs were correlated with immune response and disease severity. The findings provide insights into the dynamic alterations of the antibiotic resistome in COVID-19 progression and severity.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Mathias K. -M. Herzog, Monica Cazzaniga, Audrey Peters, Nizar Shayya, Luca Beldi, Siegfried Hapfelmeier, Markus M. M. Heimesaat, Stefan Bereswill, Gad Frankel, Cormac G. M. Gahan, Wolf-Dietrich Hardt
Summary: Enteropathogenic bacteria are a major global cause of disease and death, but not all individuals naturally exposed to these bacteria develop disease. The gut microbiota and various barriers contribute to resistance against gastrointestinal infection. However, the mechanisms underlying inter-individual differences in resistance are still not fully understood.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Henrik M. Roager, Catherine Stanton, Lindsay J. Hall
Summary: The development of the infant gut microbiome is crucial for the microbiome ecology, function, and host health. Technological advancements now allow for better profiling of metabolites in the infant gut, providing insights into the roles of microbial-derived metabolites in shaping the microbiome community and influencing host-microbial interactions during early life. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the development of the infant gut microbiota and metabolism within the first year of life, emphasizing the importance of microbial metabolites in enhancing our understanding of early life interactions.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
J. J. Jimenez Loayza, S. Kang, L. Schooth, J. J. Teh, A. de Klerk, E. K. Noon, J. Zhang, J. Hu, A. L. Hamilton, A. Wilson-O'Brien, G. L. Trakman, W. Lin, J. Ching, L. Or, J. J. Y. Sung, J. Yu, S. C. Ng, M. A. Kamm, M. Morrison
Summary: Food additives have been found to affect the microbial dysbiosis associated with Crohn's disease. Sodium sulfite and polysorbate 80 have inhibitory effects on beneficial bacteria, while polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose can drive changes in the CD mucosa-associated microbiota, leading to early disease recurrence.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Anthony Mannion, Alexander Sheh, Zeli Shen, JoAnn Dzink-Fox, M. Blanca Piazuelo, Keith T. Wilson, Richard Peek, James G. G. Fox
Summary: In this study, whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing (WMS) was used to survey the microbiome in gastric biopsy samples from high-risk and low-risk gastric cancer towns in Colombia. WMS demonstrated its capability to identify and characterize bacterial taxa and functional profiles of the gastric microbiome, with advantages over traditional culture and 16S rRNA sequencing. WMS detected more bacterial taxa and risk factors for H. pylori-associated gastric disease compared to other sequencing approaches.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Takashi Ito, Yumiko Nakanishi, Ryohei Shibata, Noriko Sato, Toshi Jinnohara, Sayo Suzuki, Wataru Suda, Masahira Hattori, Ikuo Kimura, Taiji Nakano, Fumiya Yamaide, Naoki Shimojo, Hiroshi Ohno
Summary: Evidence suggests that gut microbiota and its metabolites, particularly the short-chain fatty acid propionate, play a significant role in the development of various diseases. However, little is known about its impact on pediatric bronchial asthma. This study found that propionate intake through breast milk during lactation reduces airway inflammation and suppresses asthma development through the propionate receptor GPR41 and upregulation of Toll-like receptors. Translational studies in a human birth cohort also showed a decrease in fecal propionate in those who later developed bronchial asthma, highlighting the importance of propionate in immune function regulation.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jie Hu, Yifan Wu, Xingjian Zhou, Luyuan Kang, Shiyi Zhang, Yisi Liu, Yu Pi, Xilong Li, Junjun Wang, Dandan Han
Summary: The pathogenicity of E. coli O157:H7 is mainly due to the expression of Stx2 gene, which is located in the Stx2 prophage and poses a threat to intestinal health. This study aimed to investigate whether specific dietary sugars can inhibit Stx2 prophage induction in E. coli O157:H7, leading to reduced Stx2 production and improved intestinal health.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Fabienne Kurt, Gabriel E. Leventhal, Marianne Rebecca Spalinger, Laura Anthamatten, Philipp Rogalla von Bieberstein, Carmen Menzi, Markus Reichlin, Marco Meola, Florian Rosenthal, Gerhard Rogler, Christophe Lacroix, Tomas de Wouters
Summary: By selecting nine strains and continuous co-culturing, a stable microbial consortium that emulates the central metabolic pathways of carbohydrate fermentation in the healthy human gut microbiota was constructed. The function-based consortium showed an efficacy comparable to FMT in counteracting acute colitis, while an equivalent mix of strains failed to match FMT. The approach of combining a bottom-up functional design with continuous co-cultivation is proposed as a powerful strategy to produce robust functionally designed synthetic consortia for therapeutic use.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Lindsay Devolder, Ayla Pauwels, Ann Van Remoortel, Gwen Falony, Sara Vieira-Silva, Guy Nagels, Jacques De Keyser, Jeroen Raes, Marie B. D'Hooghe
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between gut microbial composition and long-term disability worsening in 111 MS patients. The results showed that the inflammation-associated, dysbiotic Bacteroides 2 enterotype (Bact2) was more prevalent in patients with worsening disability compared to non-worsened patients. This association was independent of confounding factors and Bact2 showed a stronger association with disability worsening than neurofilament light chain (NfL) plasma levels. Additionally, Bact2 was relatively stable over time, suggesting its potential use as a prognostic biomarker in MS clinical practice.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Sheng Gao, Xiang Gao, Ruixin Zhu, Dingfeng Wu, Zhongsheng Feng, Na Jiao, Ruicong Sun, Wenxing Gao, Qing He, Zhanju Liu, Lixin Zhu
Summary: Dysbiosis of gut microbial community is associated with the pathogenesis of CD and may serve as a promising noninvasive diagnostic tool. We compared the performances of microbial markers at different biological levels and found that microbial genes were robust diagnostic biomarkers for CD. The gene model showed superior diagnostic capability and specificity for CD, and phosphotransferase system (PTS) played a significant role in its performance.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Min Tian, Qihui Li, Tenghui Zheng, Siwang Yang, Fang Chen, Wutai Guan, Shihai Zhang
Summary: The maternal microbiome plays a crucial role in the healthy growth and development of offspring and has long-lasting effects. Recent studies have shown that it starts regulating fetal health and development during pregnancy and continues to influence early microbial colonization through birth and breastfeeding. There is compelling evidence that it is involved in immune and brain development and affects the risk of related diseases. Modulating offspring development through maternal diet and probiotic intervention during pregnancy and breastfeeding could be a promising future therapy.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Oshrit Shtossel, Haim Isakov, Sondra Turjeman, Omry Koren, Yoram Louzoun
Summary: The human gut microbiome is a promising candidate for machine learning-based biomarker development for different diseases. A novel method, iMic, is proposed to improve data representation for machine learning using microbial taxonomy. iMic translates the microbiome to images and applies convolutional neural networks for analysis. It shows higher precision in microbiome gene sequence-based machine learning compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
F. Christopher Peritore-Galve, Izumi Kaji, Anna Smith, Lauren M. Walker, John A. Shupe, M. Kay Washington, Holly M. Scott Algood, Pradeep K. Dudeja, James R. Goldenring, D. Borden Lacy
Summary: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. This study found that CDI increases intestinal permeability and decreases the abundance of key ion transporters, leading to osmotic diarrhea. These findings provide insights into the mechanism of diarrhea during CDI and may lead to new treatments for CDI-associated diarrhea.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Emily M. Mercer, Marie-Claire Arrieta
Summary: Gut microbiome maturation in premature infants is influenced by various factors, leading to different microbial succession patterns compared to term infants. These differences contribute to clinical conditions like NEC and LOS in preterm infants. Early probiotic supplementation has proven effective in preventing these conditions and has additional benefits on the preterm gut microbiome, metabolome, and immune function. This review highlights the influence of probiotics on the gut microbiome of preterm infants and discusses clinical considerations for their use.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Kento Orihara, Kana Yahagi, Yuki Saito, Yohei Watanabe, Toshio Sasai, Taeko Hara, Naoki Tsukuda, Kaihei Oki, Junji Fujimoto, Takahiro Matsuki
Summary: Bifidobacterium kashiwanohense strains can utilize both milk- and plant-derived carbohydrates, including long-chain xylans and human milk oligosaccharides. This study identified key genetic factors that contribute to their ability to assimilate various carbohydrates and revealed their prevalence in the gut of not only infants, but also adults and weaning children worldwide.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Zichao Yu, Yu Wang, Fang Zhang, Rui Ma, Xiaoyu Yang, Kun Yang, Ai Mi, Liyuan Ran, Yingjie Wu
Summary: Both GH and gut microbiota have significant impacts on physiological processes, and this study found that disruption of GHR in the liver affected gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism, while the influence on adipose tissue was limited. The findings suggest that liver GH signaling plays a crucial role in regulating gut microbiota and may contribute to microbiota-host interaction.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Mengyu Guo, Huanjin Liu, Yinting Yu, Xingyu Zhu, Hui Xie, Chenxu Wei, Chunmei Mei, Yun Shi, Nong Zhou, Kunming Qin, Weidong Li
Summary: In this study, the therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) on ovariectomized (OVX) model rats were investigated. The results showed that LGG treatment could protect OVX rats by improving bone microarchitecture, bone biomechanics, and expression levels of certain markers. Additionally, LGG could regulate the gut microbiome, intestinal barrier, and Th17/Treg balance in gut and bone.
