Abstract
Host-microbiota interactions are key modulators of host physiology and behavior. Accumulating evidence suggests that the complex interplay between microbiota, diet and the intestine controls host health. Great emphasis has been given on how gut microbes have evolved to harvest energy from the diet to control energy balance, host metabolism and fitness. In addition, many metabolites essential for intestinal homeostasis are mainly derived from gut microbiota and can alleviate nutritional imbalances. However, due to the high complexity of the system, the molecular mechanisms that control host-microbiota mutualism, as well as whether and how microbiota affects host intestinal stem cells (ISCs) remain elusive. Drosophila encompasses a low complexity intestinal microbiome and has recently emerged as a system that might uncover evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of microbiota-derived nutrient ISC regulation. Here, we review recent studies using the Drosophila model that directly link microbiota-derived metabolites and ISC function. This research field provides exciting perspectives for putative future treatments of ISC-related diseases based on monitoring and manipulating intestinal microbiota.
Highlights
The physiological inhabitants of the intestine, the gut microbiota, include bacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi that have coevolved with their hosts
Since it is widely believed that the ‘cells-of-origin’ of different types of cancer are tissue-specific stem cells, there is an evolving number of studies that aim to characterize the molecular factors linking intestinal microbiota to host metabolism to intestinal stem cells (ISCs) activity. In this minireview we provide a Drosophila perspective on the effects of dietary interventions on the composition of bacterial communities within the gut and the impact of commensals on metabolism, with a special focus on the effects of microbe-derived nutrients on ISC behavior and epithelial renewal
Another example of host-microbiota cooperation to sustain the gut-microbe mutualism comes from a study showing that the activity of the enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (PQQ-ADH), which is responsible for acetic acid biosynthesis in A. pomorum, modulates the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling (IIS) pathway in flies
Summary
The physiological inhabitants of the intestine, the gut microbiota, include bacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi that have coevolved with their hosts. Since it is widely believed that the ‘cells-of-origin’ of different types of cancer are tissue-specific stem cells, there is an evolving number of studies that aim to characterize the molecular factors linking intestinal microbiota to host metabolism to ISC activity. In this minireview we provide a Drosophila perspective on the effects of dietary interventions on the composition of bacterial communities within the gut and the impact of commensals on metabolism, with a special focus on the effects of microbe-derived nutrients on ISC behavior and epithelial renewal
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