International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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New Insights into Gut Microbiota and Immunity

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Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous Special Issues, "Gut Microbiota and Immunity" and "Gut Microbiota and Immunity 2.0". The human gut hosts a wide and diverse ecosystem of microorganisms, termed the microbiota or the novel name “holobiota”. The microbiota is involved in both health and disease, contributing to preventing illness by facilitating metabolism, the immune system, cancer resistance, endocrine signaling, and brain function. However, dysfunctions of the microbiota could lead to gut dysbiosis, leading to alterations in intestinal permeability and the immune system. Innate and adaptive immunity plays an important role in the containment and clearance of microbial pathogens, and new mechanisms have been discovered that can cause or influence systemic immunity alterations in different disorders, such as cancer and autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases, among others. In this Special Issue, a particular emphasis will be given to the role of the microbiota–gut–brain axis to deepen our knowledge on the mechanisms of gut microbiota–brain communication, including immune signaling and neural–enteroendocrine pathways. We will also review important advances in techniques associated with microbial research, such as DNA sequencing, metabolomics, and proteomics combined with computation-based bioinformatics. Finally, this Special Issue of IJMS will also focus on advances in therapeutic applications, such as, for instance, the usefulness of microbial or chemobiotic applications as promising therapeutic choices to palliate immune-mediated diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and other syndromes.

Dr. Maria Pascual
Guest Editor

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Keywords

gut
microbiota
immune response
infectious disease
cancer
brain function
metabolism
endocrine signaling
pathological conditions
therapy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Predictive Value of Gut Microbiota Composition for Sustained Immunogenicity following Two Doses of CoronaVac

by Ho-Yu Ng, Yunshi Liao, Ruiqi Zhang, Kwok-Hung Chan, Wai-Pan To, Chun-Him Hui, Wai-Kay Seto, Wai K. Leung, Ivan F. N. Hung, Tommy T. Y. Lam and Ka-Shing Cheung

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2583; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052583 - 23 Feb 2024

Viewed by 778

Abstract

CoronaVac immunogenicity decreases with time, and we aimed to investigate whether gut microbiota associate with longer-term immunogenicity of CoronaVac. This was a prospective cohort study recruiting two-dose CoronaVac recipients from three centres in Hong Kong. We collected blood samples at baseline and day 180 after the first dose and used chemiluminescence immunoassay to test for neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus. We performed shotgun metagenomic sequencing performed on baseline stool samples. The primary outcome was the NAb seroconversion rate (seropositivity defined as NAb ≥ 15AU/mL) at day 180. Linear discriminant analysis [LDA] effect size analysis was used to identify putative bacterial species and metabolic pathways. A univariate logistic regression model was used to derive the odds ratio (OR) of seropositivity with bacterial species. Of 119 CoronaVac recipients (median age: 53.4 years [IQR: 47.8–61.3]; male: 39 [32.8%]), only 8 (6.7%) remained seropositive at 6 months after vaccination. Bacteroides uniformis (log₁₀LDA score = 4.39) and Bacteroides eggerthii (log₁₀LDA score = 3.89) were significantly enriched in seropositive than seronegative participants. Seropositivity was associated with B. eggerthii (OR: 5.73; 95% CI: 1.32–29.55; p = 0.022) and B. uniformis with borderline significance (OR: 3.27; 95% CI: 0.73–14.72; p = 0.110). Additionally, B. uniformis was positively correlated with most enriched metabolic pathways in seropositive vaccinees, including the superpathway of adenosine nucleotide de novo biosynthesis I (log₁₀LDA score = 2.88) and II (log₁₀LDA score = 2.91), as well as pathways related to vitamin B biosynthesis, all of which are known to promote immune functions. In conclusion, certain gut bacterial species (B. eggerthii and B. uniformis) and metabolic pathways were associated with longer-term CoronaVac immunogenicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Gut Microbiota and Immunity)

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15 pages, 2892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Low Protein Diets Supplemented with Sodium Butyrate, Medium-Chain Fatty Acids, or n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on the Growth Performance, Immune Function, and Microbiome of Weaned Piglets

by Wenxue Li, Tianyi Lan, Qi Ding, Zhongxiang Ren, Zhiru Tang, Qingsong Tang, Xie Peng, Yetong Xu and Zhihong Sun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(24), 17592; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417592 - 18 Dec 2023

Viewed by 951

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of low-protein (LP) diets supplemented with sodium butyrate (SB), medium-chain fatty acids (MCT), or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) on the growth performance, immune function, and the microbiome of weaned piglets. A total of 120 healthy weaned piglets ((Landrace × Large White × Duroc); 7.93 ± 0.7 kg initial body weight), were randomly divided into five groups. Each group consisted of six replications with four piglets per replication. Dietary treatments included control diet (CON); LP diet (LP); LP + 0.2% SB diet (LP + SB); LP + 0.2% MCT diet (LP + MCT); and LP + PUFA diet (LP + PUFA). The experimental period lasted for 4 weeks. Compared with the CON diet, LP, LP + SB, LP + MCT, and LP + PUFA diets decreased the final weight and average daily gain (ADG) of piglets (p < 0.05). There were lower (p < 0.05) concentrations of IL-8 and higher (p < 0.05) Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in the plasma of piglets fed with LP + SB, LP + MCT, and LP + PUFA diets than those fed with the LP diet. The piglets in the LP + SB and LP + PUFA groups had lower IKK-alpha (IKKa) mRNA expression in the colonic mucosa compared with those in the CON and LP groups (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of TLR4 in the colonic mucosa of piglets in the LP + SB, LP + MCT, and LP + PUFA groups was decreased when compared with the CON and LP groups (p < 0.05). The LP + MCT diets increased the gene expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in the colonic mucosa of piglets compared with CON, LP, and LP + SB diets (p < 0.05). The abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae in the colonic microbiome of piglets in the LP group was higher than that in the other four groups (p < 0.05). Collectively, this study showed that LP diets supplemented with SB, MCT, or n-3 PUFA reduced plasma inflammatory factor levels, increased plasma GSH-Px activity, and declined mRNA expression of TLR4 and IKKa in the colonic epithelium, whereas it reduced the abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae in the colon of piglets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Gut Microbiota and Immunity)

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