Early life host regulation of the mammalian enteric microbiota composition

N. van Best, M.W. Hornef*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal(Systematic) Review article peer-review

Abstract

The enteric microbiota exerts a major influence on the host. It promotes food degradation, nutrient absorption, immune maturation and protects from infection with pathogenic microorganisms. However, certain compositional alterations also enhance the risk to develop metabolic, inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. This suggests that the enteric microbiota is subject to strong evolutionary pressure. Here, we hypothesize that endogenous, genetically determined mechanisms exist that shape and optimize the enteric microbiota. We discuss that the postnatal period as the starting point of the host-microbial interaction bears the greatest chance to identify such regulatory mechanisms and report on two recently identified ways how the neonate host favours or disfavours colonization by certain bacteria and thereby manipulates the postnatally emerging bacterial ecosystem. A better understanding of these mechanisms might ultimately help to define the features of a beneficial enteric microbiota and to develop interventional strategies to overcome adverse microbiota alterations.
Original languageEnglish
Article number151498
Number of pages5
JournalInternational Journal of Medical Microbiology
Volume311
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2021

Keywords

  • Neonate
  • Microbiota composition
  • Bile acids
  • Toll-like receptor
  • SEGMENTED FILAMENTOUS BACTERIA
  • HUMAN GUT MICROBIOME
  • ANTIBIOTIC EXPOSURE
  • AMINO-ACIDS
  • COMMENSAL
  • GENOME
  • LACTOBACILLUS
  • ASSOCIATION
  • MATURATION
  • DIVERSITY

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