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Aburto MR, Cryan JF. Gastrointestinal and brain barriers: unlocking gates of communication across the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2024; 21:222-247. [PMID: 38355758 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-023-00890-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Crosstalk between gut and brain has long been appreciated in health and disease, and the gut microbiota is a key player in communication between these two distant organs. Yet, the mechanisms through which the microbiota influences development and function of the gut-brain axis remain largely unknown. Barriers present in the gut and brain are specialized cellular interfaces that maintain strict homeostasis of different compartments across this axis. These barriers include the gut epithelial barrier, the blood-brain barrier and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. Barriers are ideally positioned to receive and communicate gut microbial signals constituting a gateway for gut-microbiota-brain communication. In this Review, we focus on how modulation of these barriers by the gut microbiota can constitute an important channel of communication across the gut-brain axis. Moreover, barrier malfunction upon alterations in gut microbial composition could form the basis of various conditions, including often comorbid neurological and gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, we should focus on unravelling the molecular and cellular basis of this communication and move from simplistic framing as 'leaky gut'. A mechanistic understanding of gut microbiota modulation of barriers, especially during critical windows of development, could be key to understanding the aetiology of gastrointestinal and neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- María R Aburto
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - John F Cryan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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Yeo XY, Chae WR, Lee HU, Bae HG, Pettersson S, Grandjean J, Han W, Jung S. Nuanced contribution of gut microbiome in the early brain development of mice. Gut Microbes 2023; 15:2283911. [PMID: 38010368 PMCID: PMC10768743 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2283911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex symbiotic relationship between the mammalian body and gut microbiome plays a critical role in the health outcomes of offspring later in life. The gut microbiome modulates virtually all physiological functions through direct or indirect interactions to maintain physiological homeostasis. Previous studies indicate a link between maternal/early-life gut microbiome, brain development, and behavioral outcomes relating to social cognition. Here we present direct evidence of the role of the gut microbiome in brain development. Through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we investigated the impact of the gut microbiome on brain organization and structure using germ-free (GF) mice and conventionalized mice, with the gut microbiome reintroduced after weaning. We found broad changes in brain volume in GF mice that persist despite the reintroduction of gut microbes at weaning. These data suggest a direct link between the maternal gut or early-postnatal microbe and their impact on brain developmental programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Yi Yeo
- Lab of Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Woo Ri Chae
- Lab of Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae Ung Lee
- National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore Health Services, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Han-Gyu Bae
- Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Sven Pettersson
- National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore Health Services, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Medical Sciences, Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Joanes Grandjean
- Department of Medical Imaging, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Weiping Han
- Lab of Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sangyong Jung
- Lab of Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
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