title: Intestinal fucose as a mediator of host-microbe symbiosis.
abstract: Fucose is an L-configuration sugar found abundantly in the mammalian gut. It has long been known to be induced there by the presence of bacteria, but only recently have some of the molecular mechanisms behind this process been uncovered. New work suggests that fucose can have a protective role in both gut-centered and systemic infection and inflammation. This review highlights recent studies showing that, in addition to acting as a food source for beneficial gut symbionts, host fucose can suppress the virulence of pathogens and pathobionts. The relevance of gut fucosylation to human diseases also is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Committee on Immunology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pickard
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Committee on Immunology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 achervon@bsd.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Alexander V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Chervonsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005643:Fucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D064307:Microbiota; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D005643:Fucose