Gut microbiota-derived ergothioneine alleviates antipsychotic-induced synaptic and cognitive impairments Zheng et al. reveal that chronic antipsychotic treatment depletes gut microbiota-derived ergothioneine, contributing to cognitive impairment. Ergothioneine mitigates hippocampal oxidative stress by in...

Microbiota mitigate antipsychotic-induced cognitive impairment

Antipsychotics deplete Cyanobacteria & ergothioneine, leading to cognitive impairment. Ergothioneine treatment rescues cognitive deficits by inhibiting hippocampal oxidative stress & PTP1B
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An infant nasal microbial gene atlas uncovers intervention-driven microbiome shifts and salt-resistant pathogen expansion Steinberg et al. generated an infant nasal microbial gene atlas using samples from infants with and without cystic fibrosis. Frequent hypertonic saline inhalation reshapes airway microbiome function, ...

Early-life interventions & airway microbiome

Nasal microbial gene atlas in infants -/+ cystic fibrosis. Hypertonic saline inhalation reshapes airway microbiome, selects salt-tolerant H. influenzae & induces transporters linked to antibiotic tolerance
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Drought-induced plant microbiome and metabolic enrichments improve drought resistance Li et al. show that drought stress promotes specific microbial and metabolite enrichments in the wheat rhizosphere. These changes enhance plant drought resistance via plant-microbes interactions and h...

Weekend read!
Plant microbiome & drought resistance

Drought stress promotes specific microbial & metabolite enrichments in the wheat rhizosphere. These changes enhance plant drought resistance via plant-microbe interactions & have lasting legacy effects
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#WeekendRead! #EveryCellIsAnImmuneCell! #InflammasomePower! #ImmunometabolismPower! Zhao &co show @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social that a clostridium enriched in #IBD exacerbates colitis via boosting #glycolysis & IL1b by macrophages & activating NLRP3 in enteric #neurons, causing their loss!

Gut phage ACRs

Type II CRISPR-Cas systems dominate human gut w/diverse phage Acrs targeting these systems. Widespread family, GutAcraca, adopts similar structures to inhibit Cas9 & regulate its own expression, highlighting phage adaptation to gut ecology
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Microbes that chew allergens mitigate anaphylaxis In the current issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Sánchez-Martínez et al. demonstrate that oral and small-intestine bacteria can modulate IgE-mediated anaphylaxis through metabolic degradation of immunodominant peanut allergens. This study provides insights into microbial mechanisms underlying food-induced anaphylaxis and may point to new directions for advancing food allergy therapy.

Microbes that chew allergens mitigate anaphylaxis

Preview of work demonstrating that oral & small intestinal bacteria can modulate IgE-mediated anaphylaxis through metabolic degradation of immunodominant peanut allergens.
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Microbes impact peanut allergy

Mouth & gut contain peanut-degrading bacteria(Rothia) that metabolize PN allergens. Mice colonized w/Rothia show decreased anaphylaxis & allergic patients w/better PN tolerance have higher abundance of these bacteria
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Crisping up Lactobacillus vaginal live biotherapeutics

Highlight of 2 papers reporting clinical trials evaluating 3 vaginal live biotherapeutic products containing different Lactobacillus crispatus strain combinations for treatment of bacterial vaginosis.
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Vaginal microbiota impacts of a Lactobacillus crispatus live biotherapeutic and predictors of colonization in randomized controlled trial Bloom, Symul, et al. show that a vaginal live biotherapeutic product (LBP) containing the health-associated bacterium Lactobacillus crispatus prevents bacterial vaginosis recurrence and reduces vaginal inflammation. Colonization is usually driven by the administered strain, but endogenous strains sometimes replace it. Success varies depending on pre-treatment vaginal microbiota composition and host factors.

Lactobacillus crispatus live biotherapeutic for BV

Vaginal live biotherapeutic product containing health-associated bacterium L. crispatus prevents bacterial vaginosis recurrence & reduces inflammation. Success depends on pre-treatment vaginal microbiota
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VIBRANT: Phase 1 trial of multi-strain L. crispatus for BV

Women w/bacterial vaginosis receiving multi-strain vaginal L. crispatus live biotherapeutic 3–7 days post antibiotics showed vaginal colonization up to 12 wks, reducing risk of recurrent BV
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How to measure microbiome health?

Commentary proposes adaptive coherence: capacity of host-microbiome systems to sustain integrated function via reorganization. Reframes health as emergent & relational, w/measurements of adaptability/functional integrity
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Skin microbiota drives cutaneous ICI toxicity

Checkpoint inhibitor toxicity is driven by skin microbiota in genetically autoimmune-susceptible mice. Topical antibiotics mitigate ICI averse events w/out compromising anti-tumor efficacy
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Leveraging intratumoral probiotics in PDAC

B. longum colonizes pancreatic tumors. Rapamycin-induced xenophagy enables B. longum to drive probiotic neoantigen presentation & CD4 T cell-mediated tumor killing, thereby enhancing immune checkpoint blockade
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Microbes as architects of colonic patterning

Highlight of @cp-cell.bsky.social paper discovering regionalization of colonic epithelium depends on microbes, with proximal identity regulated by microbial nicotinic acid-induced PPARα activation in the epithelium.
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Gut pathogen Clostridium symbiosum rewires macrophage succinylation to drive enteric neuron loss in inflammatory bowel disease Zhao et al. identify an IBD-enriched gut pathogen, Clostridium symbiosum, that promotes enteric neuron loss and colitis. C. symbiosum-derived succinate rewires macrophage glycolytic metabolism to sustain IL-1β signaling, thereby activating neuronal NLRP3 inflammasomes and driving neuron loss. Targeting C. symbiosum with a phage-derived endolysin preserves enteric neurons and alleviates intestinal inflammation.

C. symbiosum promotes enteric neuron loss in IBD

C. symbiosum-derived succinate rewires macrophages to sustain IL-1β, thereby activating neuronal NLRP3 & driving neuron loss. Targeting C. symbiosum w/phage endolysin preserves neurons &dampens inflammation
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‘Insane in the membrane’: 2′,3′-cGAMP triggers filamentous phage defense In this issue, Tak et al. report that bacteria produce 2′,3′-cGAMP, a signaling molecule once considered unique to metazoans. This cyclic dinucleotide activates a SAVED-domain effector that polymerize...

‘Insane in the membrane’: 2′,3′-cGAMP triggers filamentous phage defense

Preview of work reporting bacteria produce 2′,3′-cGAMP, activating SAVED effector that polymerizes into membrane-disrupting filaments, inducing abortive infection
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Bacterial 2′,3′-cGAMP activates a SAVED effector to form membrane-disrupting filaments and restrict phage replication Tak et al. discover that bacteria use 2′,3′-cGAMP, the same signaling molecule employed by mammalian cGAS-STING, for phage defense. In response to phage, 2′,3′-cGAMP activates filament formation of Ca...

Featured Article: Bacterial 2′,3′-cGAMP triggers membrane disruption to restrict phage

In response to phage, CdnB enzymes in CBASS systems synthesize 2′,3′-cGAMP, which activates Cap14 that induces filament formation & premature cell lysis
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No sugar, no problem: Glycogen-fueled neutrophils slay fungi Neutrophils require a considerable amount of glucose to combat Candida albicans infections. However, in tissues, glucose can be depleted due to fungal utilization. In this issue, Choi et al. report th...

No sugar, no problem

Preview highlighting how neutrophils, which require glucose to combat C. albicans, have a work-around for glucose depletion by fungi. Neutrophils utilize glycogenolysis to generate energy to deploy antifungal effectors
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Glycogen phosphorylase L confers metabolic flexibility in neutrophils to fight fungal infections in nutrient-deprived tissues Neutrophils depend on glucose for their antifungal activities. Candida albicans consumes glucose, thus posing metabolic challenges for neutrophils. Choi and colleagues show that neutrophils upregulate...

Featured Article: Metabolic flexibility allows neutrophils to fight Candida

Upon C. albicans glucose consumption, neutrophils upregulate PYGL-mediated glycogenolysis through a dectin-1/PKA axis, thus sustaining antifungal function in glucose-low tissues
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Don’t keep this endopeptidase on the DL Gut-derived bacterial DL-endopeptidase may confer protection from late onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Shen et al. identified delayed gut microbiome develo...

Don’t keep this endopeptidase on the DL

Preview highlighting work identifying delayed gut microbiome development in preterm infants as a risk factor for late onset sepsis & proposing a protective regulatory response by NOD2
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Gut microbiota immaturity with DL-endopeptidase deficiency links antibiotic use to preterm late-onset sepsis Shen et al. analyzed multi-national cohorts and identified universal preterm gut dynamics, where delayed maturation mediates antibiotic-induced late-onset sepsis susceptibility. Mechanistically, Enter...

Featured Article: Preterm microbiota & sepsis

Delayed microbiome maturation in preterm infants mediates Abx-induced late-onset sepsis susceptibility. DL-endopeptidase-producing bacteria prevent murine sepsis via NOD2 & probiotic enhances NOD2 in infants
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The female urogenital microbiome: Ecological insights, therapeutic strategies, and molecular mechanisms In the urogenital tract, dominant lactobacilli shape vaginal immunity and community stability. In this review, Dillen and Dricot et al. integrate clinical and mechanistic evidence on their molecular s...

Female urogenital microbiome: Review by Sarah Lebeer & Co

In urogenital tract, dominant lactobacilli shape vaginal immunity & community stability. Review examines molecular strategies & rational design of next-generation microbiome-based therapies
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Our April issue is now live!
On the cover: Peanut allergy & microbes

Bacteria in the oral cavity & small intestine can degrade immunodominant peanut allergens, limiting anaphylaxis
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Lactate production by tumor-resident Staphylococcus promotes metastatic colonization in lung adenocarcinoma Yu et al. demonstrate that Staphylococcus is selectively enriched in metastatic lung tumor lesions. Staphylococcus nepalensis and S. capitis secrete lactate to promote the metastatic potential of tumo...

Weekend read! Staphylococcus promotes metastasis

· Staphylococcus enriched in metastatic lung tumor lesions
· S. nepalensis & S. capitis-secreted lactate promotes metastasis via MCT1 & pseudohypoxia signaling
· MCT1 inhibition abolishes metastasis
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Soil microbial diversity associates with lower prevalence of human bacterial pathogens across global soils Xiong et al. report the most dominant human bacterial pathogens and their environmental drivers in global soils. Many dominant pathogens show negative associations with soil microbial diversity and po...

Unearthing importance of soil microbial diversity

Global atlas & biogeography of human bacterial pathogens in soils reveals pathogens negatively associate w/soil microbial diversity. Global mortality assoc. w/pathogens positively linked w/soil prevalence
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Higher soil biodiversity, lower human pathogen prevalence!

Soil is far more than the ground beneath our feet — it is a living system influencing food safety and human disease risk.

Our new paper @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social

authors.elsevier.com/a/1msNK6t8JE...

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Bacteroides acidifaciens exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury via the microbial-host isozyme DPP4 Gut microbiota can potentiate cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Zhang et al. reveal that I/R-induced intestinal hypoxia drives lactate-mediated expansion of B. acidifaciens and its enzyme dip...

B. acidifaciens worsens cardiac I/R injury

Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced intestinal hypoxia drives expansion of B. acidifaciens & DPP4, which degrades cardioprotective GLP-1, exacerbating damage. DPP4 inhibition alleviates myocardial damage
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Diversity-triggered 2-naphthoic acid exudation recruits keystone microbial taxa to promote soybean drought tolerance Chen et al. demonstrate that high rhizosphere microbial diversity triggers soybean roots to exude 2-naphthoic acid under drought stress, selectively recruiting the beneficial bacterium Sinorhizobium s...

Microbe-crop dialog bolsters drought resilience

Rhizosphere microbial diversity triggers soybean roots to exude 2-naphthoic acid under drought stress, selectively recruiting beneficial bacterium Sinorhizobium sp. CS204 to enhance plant drought tolerance
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Our new paper in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social includes
1. Global atlas of human pathogens in soils
2. Soil biodiversity negatively linked with human pathogens
3. Many pathogens to increase in future climates
4. Positive link between pathogens & mortality
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The DanRI regulatory system in uropathogenic Escherichia coli subverts neutrophil responses Čerina et al. identify a genetic sensor in bacteria that potentiates urinary tract infections. This sensor detects host responses, including neutrophil NETs, and promotes bacterial survival by dampeni...

UPEC subverts neutrophils

Uropathogenic E coli regulatory system DanRI is induced by nucleosomes present in NETs. DanRI regulates broad cellular responses and dampens neutrophil responses by attenuating reactive oxygen species production & NET formation
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