Bacterial-modulated host immunity and stem cell activation for gut homeostasis.
Although it is widely accepted that dynamic cross-talk between gut epithelia and microorganisms must occur to achieve gut homeostasis, the critical mechanisms by which gut-microbe interactions are regulated remain uncertain. In this issue of Genes & Development, Buchon and colleagues (pp. 2333-2344) revealed that the reaction of the gut to microorganisms is not restricted to activating immune systems, but extends to integrated responses essential for gut tissue homeostasis, including self-renewal and the differentiation of stem cells. Further investigation of the connection between immune response and stem cell regulation at the molecular level in the microbe-laden mucosal epithelia will accelerate our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of gut homeostasis and of the pathogenesis of diseases such as chronic inflammatory diseases and colorectal cancers.
Lee
Won-Jae
WJ
Division of Life and Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Life Science, Ewha Woman's University, and National Creative Research Initiative Center for Symbiosystem, Seoul 120-750, South Korea. lwj@ewha.ac.kr
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019255:NADPH Oxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000378:metabolism; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C497759:N protein, Drosophila; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D019255:NADPH Oxidases; D053612:Janus Kinases