MicroRNAs and extracellular vesicles in the gut: new host modulators of the microbiome?

Xiaochen Du,Amy H Buck,Ruth Ley

doi:10.1093/femsml/uqab010

Xiaochen Du, Amy H Buck + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqab010

Copy DOI

Abstract

The gut microbiota plays an integral role in human health and its dysbiosis is associated with many chronic diseases. There are still large gaps in understanding the host and environmental factors that directly regulate the gut microbiota, and few effective strategies exist to modulate the microbiota in therapeutic applications. Recent reports suggest that certain microRNAs (miRNAs) released by mammalian cells can regulate bacterial gene expression to influence the microbiome composition and propose extracellular vesicles as one natural mechanism for miRNA transport in the gut. These new findings interface with a burgeoning body of data showing that miRNAs are present in a stable form in extracellular environments and can mediate cell-to-cell communication in mammals. Here, we review the literature on RNA-mediated modulation of the microbiome to bring cross-disciplinary perspective to this new type of interaction and its potential implications in biology and medicine.

Highlights

The mammalian gastrointestinal (GI) tract hosts a complex and diverse population of microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiota
Many studies suggest that the maintenance of gut bacterial community structure is important for health and that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with numerous human diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (Nishino et al 2018), obesity (Walters, Xu and Knight 2014), diabetes mellitus (Wen et al 2008) and GI cancers (Serban 2014)
MiRNAs are the most well studied in mammals for their roles in development and disease (Kloosterman and Plasterk 2006). miRNAs derive from endogenous genes that are typically transcribed by RNA polymerase II into primary miRNA transcripts that undergo processing by Drosha and other cofactors in the nucleus (Pasquinelli 2012)

Summary

Edinburgh Research Explorer

MicroRNAs and extracellular vesicles in the gut: Citation for published version: Du, X, Ley, R & Buck, AH 2021, 'MicroRNAs and extracellular vesicles in the gut: New host modulators of the microbiome?', microLife, vol 2, uqab.

THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND ITS MODULATION

EXTRACELLULAR miRNAs AND RNA COMMUNICATION IN THE GUT

IMPLICATIONS AND QUESTIONS

Promotion Promotion Promotion Inhibition

FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION OF miRNAs IN BACTERIA

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE