TY - JOUR
T1 - How host-microbial interactions shape the nutrient environment of the mammalian intestine
AU - Hooper, Lora V.
AU - Midwedt, Tore
AU - Gordon, Jeffrey I.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Humans and other mammals are colonized by a vast, complex, and dynamic consortium of microorganisms. One evolutionary driving force for maintaining this metabolically active microbial society is to salvage energy from nutrients, particularly carbohydrates, that are otherwise nondigestible by the host. Much of our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which members of the intestinal microbiota degrade complex polysaccharides comes from studies of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a prominent and genetically manipulatable component of the normal human and mouse gut. Colonization of germ-free mice with B. thetaiotaomicron has shown how this anaerobe modifies many aspects of intestinal cellular differentiation/gene expression to benefit both host and microbe. These and other studies underscore the importance of understanding precisely how nutrient metabolism serves to establish and sustain symbiotic relationships between mammals and their bacterial partners.
AB - Humans and other mammals are colonized by a vast, complex, and dynamic consortium of microorganisms. One evolutionary driving force for maintaining this metabolically active microbial society is to salvage energy from nutrients, particularly carbohydrates, that are otherwise nondigestible by the host. Much of our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which members of the intestinal microbiota degrade complex polysaccharides comes from studies of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a prominent and genetically manipulatable component of the normal human and mouse gut. Colonization of germ-free mice with B. thetaiotaomicron has shown how this anaerobe modifies many aspects of intestinal cellular differentiation/gene expression to benefit both host and microbe. These and other studies underscore the importance of understanding precisely how nutrient metabolism serves to establish and sustain symbiotic relationships between mammals and their bacterial partners.
KW - Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
KW - Commensal bacteria
KW - Gnotobiotic mice
KW - Mammalian intestine
KW - Polysaccharide/carbohydrate metabolism
KW - Short-chain fatty acids
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036399823&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1146/annurev.nutr.22.011602.092259
DO - 10.1146/annurev.nutr.22.011602.092259
M3 - Review article
C2 - 12055347
AN - SCOPUS:0036399823
SN - 0199-9885
VL - 22
SP - 283
EP - 307
JO - Annual Review of Nutrition
JF - Annual Review of Nutrition
ER -