Our immune system has evolved to recognize and eradicate pathogenic microbes. However, we have a symbiotic relationship with multiple species of bacteria that occupy the gut and comprise the natural commensal flora or microbiota. The microbiota is critically important for the breakdown of nutrients, and also assists in preventing colonization by potentially pathogenic bacteria. In addition, the...

Production of bacteriocins is a potential probiotic feature of many lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as it can help prevent the growth of pathogens in gut environments. However, knowledge on bacteriocin producers in situ and their function in the gut of healthy animals is still limited. In this study, we investigated five bacteriocin-producing strains of LAB and their isogenic non-producing mutants f...

The Maillard reaction produces coloured, macromolecular materials (melanoidins) in a variety of foods, on heating. Significant quantities may enter the human gut on a daily basis, but there is little information on their metabolism in the human colon. As the large bowel contains a diverse population of bacteria involved in normal bowel function, it is possible that melanoidins are metabolized t...

the formation and regulation of vertebrate endogenous intestinal microbiota has been widely studied as the microbiota plays a crucial role in the host nutrition, development, and health. despite the importance of microbiota for host health, it is still unclear whether the endogenous intestinal microorganisms are genetically distinct or whether they are genetically related with each other in dif...

We previously demonstrated a potentially deep penetration of oxygen into the hindgut lumen of wood-feeding termites, high oxygen consumption rates of the symbiotic gut microbiota, and an indispensable role of oxygen in the mineralization of aromatic compounds. Here we characterize the gut microflora of the wood-feeding termite Reticulitermes flavipes, focusing on metabolic capacities and relati...

The gut microbiota is considered an organ that co-develops with the host throughout its life. The composition and metabolic activities of the gut microbiota are subject to a complex interplay between the host genetics and environmental factors, such as lifestyle, diet, stress and antimicrobials. It is evident that certain prebiotics, and antimicrobials produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), ca...

The microbiota of the gut has many crucial functions in human health. Dysbiosis of the microbiota has been correlated to a large and still increasing number of diseases. Recent studies have mostly focused on analyzing the associations between disease and an aberrant microbiota composition. Functional studies using (in vitro) gut models are required to investigate the precise interactions that o...

Experimental studies of the evolution of reproductive isolation (RI) in real time are a powerful way in which to reveal fundamental, early processes that initiate divergence. In a classic speciation experiment, populations of Drosophila pseudoobscura were subjected to divergent dietary selection and evolved significant positive assortative mating by diet. More recently, a direct role for the gu...

Purpose: The gut microbiome, defined as the community of microorganisms residing in digestive tract, is believed to play a crucial role development neurological disorders, including schizophrenia. Design: Recent research indicates that individuals with schizophrenia have altered microbiomes, characterized by reduced levels beneficial bacteria such Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, increased po...

Using pathogens or high levels of opportunistic bacteria to damage the gut, studies in Drosophila have identified many signaling pathways involved in gut regeneration. Dying cells emit signaling molecules that accelerate intestinal stem cell proliferation and progenitor differentiation to replace the dying cells quickly. This process has been named 'regenerative cell death'. Here, mimicking env...