Gut Symbiotic Lipid A Family: Structures and Immunomodulation in IBD
Abstract
Having co-evolved with the host for millennia, the microbiota makes critical contributions to mammalian immune regulation. However, there is a paucity of information on the responsible microbial molecules and the mechanisms they use to educate the host immune system. Essentially all gram-negative bacteria have lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) composing their outer membranes; these LPSs all have a core structure belonging to the lipid A family. Unlike well-known proinflammatory lipid A from pathogenic bacteria, the lipid A of gut symbiotic bacteria has unique structural and immunoregulatory characteristics. In this project, we will investigate the structural–immunomodulatory actions of symbiotic lipid A and define the role of these actions in models of inflammation and infection. The proposed studies will address how commensal molecules originating from the gut microbiota protect the host by modulating immune responses to inflammation. We will focus on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), in which the impact of the microbiota on disease progression and resistance is well appreciated and the great therapeutic potential of commensal microbial molecules is recognized. The proposed studies will address the specific structure of symbiotic factors and the protective function of these factors in IBD, investigating the molecular mechanisms by which symbiotic microbiota-derived molecules trigger anti-inflammatory pathways and protect the host from experimental IBDs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910626
Entities
People
- Sungwhan Oh
Organizations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- United States Army