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Strategies Targeting Microbiota Modulation

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2021) | Viewed by 19279

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (IATA-CSSIC), 46980 Paterna, Spain
Interests: physiology of lactic acid bacteria; genetics of lactic acid bacteria; signalling pathways; stress response; intestinal microbiota; probiotics; metal toxicity; food microbiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, an increasing body of evidence has shown the major role played in human and animal health and disease by the microbial communities associated to them. Furthermore, it has been shown that alterations of these communities can have dramatic effects on the health status of hosts or disease outcomes. A number of strategies have been devised to modulate symbiotic microbial communities that have shown promising results as a means to promote the host health status, diminish damage associated to exposure to toxic compounds or to remove colonizing pathogens.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original research articles or review articles that discuss different strategies aiming to modulate host-associated microbial communities with particular emphasis on their molecular mechanisms of action.

Dr. Manuel Zúñiga Cabrera
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • microbiota modulation
  • molecular mechanisms
  • host-associated microbial communities
  • toxicity
  • colonizing pathogens

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3276 KiB  
Article
Lectin-Mediated Bacterial Modulation by the Intestinal Nematode Ascaris suum
by Ankur Midha, Guillaume Goyette-Desjardins, Felix Goerdeler, Oren Moscovitz, Peter H. Seeberger, Karsten Tedin, Luca D. Bertzbach, Bernd Lepenies and Susanne Hartmann
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(16), 8739; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168739 - 14 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3506
Abstract
Ascariasis is a global health problem for humans and animals. Adult Ascaris nematodes are long-lived in the host intestine where they interact with host cells as well as members of the microbiota resulting in chronic infections. Nematode interactions with host cells and the [...] Read more.
Ascariasis is a global health problem for humans and animals. Adult Ascaris nematodes are long-lived in the host intestine where they interact with host cells as well as members of the microbiota resulting in chronic infections. Nematode interactions with host cells and the microbial environment are prominently mediated by parasite-secreted proteins and peptides possessing immunomodulatory and antimicrobial activities. Previously, we discovered the C-type lectin protein AsCTL-42 in the secreted products of adult Ascaris worms. Here we tested recombinant AsCTL-42 for its ability to interact with bacterial and host cells. We found that AsCTL-42 lacks bactericidal activity but neutralized bacterial cells without killing them. Treatment of bacterial cells with AsCTL-42 reduced invasion of intestinal epithelial cells by Salmonella. Furthermore, AsCTL-42 interacted with host myeloid C-type lectin receptors. Thus, AsCTL-42 is a parasite protein involved in the triad relationship between Ascaris, host cells, and the microbiota. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies Targeting Microbiota Modulation)
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12 pages, 1914 KiB  
Article
Interaction of Intestinal Bacteria with Human Rotavirus during Infection in Children
by Roberto Gozalbo-Rovira, Antonio Rubio-del-Campo, Cristina Santiso-Bellón, Susana Vila-Vicent, Javier Buesa, Susana Delgado, Natalia Molinero, Abelardo Margolles, María Jesús Yebra, María Carmen Collado, Vicente Monedero and Jesús Rodríguez-Díaz
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(3), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22031010 - 20 Jan 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3431
Abstract
The gut microbiota has emerged as a key factor in the pathogenesis of intestinal viruses, including enteroviruses, noroviruses and rotaviruses (RVs), where stimulatory and inhibitory effects on infectivity have been reported. With the aim of determining whether members of the microbiota interact with [...] Read more.
The gut microbiota has emerged as a key factor in the pathogenesis of intestinal viruses, including enteroviruses, noroviruses and rotaviruses (RVs), where stimulatory and inhibitory effects on infectivity have been reported. With the aim of determining whether members of the microbiota interact with RVs during infection, a combination of anti-RV antibody labeling, fluorescence-activated cell sorting and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to characterize the interaction between specific bacteria and RV in stool samples of children suffering from diarrhea produced by G1P[8] RV. The genera Ruminococcus and Oxalobacter were identified as RV binders in stools, displaying enrichments between 4.8- and 5.4-fold compared to samples nonlabeled with anti-RV antibodies. In vitro binding of the G1P[8] Wa human RV strain to two Ruminococcus gauvreauii human isolates was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. Analysis in R. gauvreauii with antibodies directed to several histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) indicated that these bacteria express HBGA-like substances on their surfaces, which can be the target for RV binding. Furthermore, in vitro infection of the Wa strain in differentiated Caco-2 cells was significantly reduced by incubation with R. gauvreauii. These data, together with previous findings showing a negative correlation between Ruminococcus levels and antibody titers to RV in healthy individuals, suggest a pivotal interaction between this bacterial group and human RV. These results reveal likely mechanisms of how specific bacterial taxa of the intestinal microbiota could negatively affect RV infection and open new possibilities for antiviral strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies Targeting Microbiota Modulation)
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Review

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18 pages, 2295 KiB  
Review
The Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Gut–Brain Axis in Obesity: Mechanisms and Future Implications
by Jamie van Son, Laura L. Koekkoek, Susanne E. La Fleur, Mireille J. Serlie and Max Nieuwdorp
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 2993; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22062993 - 15 Mar 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7981
Abstract
Interaction between the gut and the brain is essential for energy homeostasis. In obesity, this homeostasis is disrupted, leading to a positive energy balance and weight gain. Obesity is a global epidemic that affects individual health and strains the socioeconomic system. Microbial dysbiosis [...] Read more.
Interaction between the gut and the brain is essential for energy homeostasis. In obesity, this homeostasis is disrupted, leading to a positive energy balance and weight gain. Obesity is a global epidemic that affects individual health and strains the socioeconomic system. Microbial dysbiosis has long been reported in obesity and obesity-related disorders. More recent literature has focused on the interaction of the gut microbiota and its metabolites on human brain and behavior. Developing strategies that target the gut microbiota could be a future approach for the treatment of obesity. Here, we review the microbiota–gut–brain axis and possible therapeutic options. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies Targeting Microbiota Modulation)
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15 pages, 1708 KiB  
Review
Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition in Bacteria: Do Not Get Too Close!
by Larisa N. Ikryannikova, Leonid K. Kurbatov, Neonila V. Gorokhovets and Andrey A. Zamyatnin, Jr.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(21), 7990; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21217990 - 27 Oct 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3678
Abstract
Over millions of years of evolution, bacteria have developed complex strategies for intra-and interspecies interactions and competition for ecological niches and resources. Contact-dependent growth inhibition systems (CDI) are designed to realize a direct physical contact of one bacterial cell with other cells in [...] Read more.
Over millions of years of evolution, bacteria have developed complex strategies for intra-and interspecies interactions and competition for ecological niches and resources. Contact-dependent growth inhibition systems (CDI) are designed to realize a direct physical contact of one bacterial cell with other cells in proximity via receptor-mediated toxin delivery. These systems are found in many microorganisms including clinically important human pathogens. The main purpose of these systems is to provide competitive advantages for the growth of the population. In addition, non-competitive roles for CDI toxin delivery systems including interbacterial signal transduction and mediators of bacterial collaboration have been suggested. In this review, our goal was to systematize the recent findings on the structure, mechanisms, and purpose of CDI systems in bacterial populations and discuss the potential biological and evolutionary impact of CDI-mediated interbacterial competition and/or cooperation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies Targeting Microbiota Modulation)
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