A study by the Gulbenkian Institute of Sciences (IGC) has determined how bacteria in the intestine evolve in a few days, a finding that researchers believe may contribute to the treatment of age-related diseases.
“Ultimately, the results could contribute to the development of relevant microbiome-based therapies for age-related diseases,” the IGC said on Wednesday.
The findings of the research, which was published in the scientific journal Current Biology, reveal the “subtle way” in which the interactions between the immune system, the microbiota and antibiotics can influence the evolution of bacterial processesin both health and disease contexts.
The millions of bacteria that live in the intestine are part of the microbiota, a relationship between the host and these microorganisms considered essential for health, but which is subject to several factors. like the diet, taking antibiotics and even himself aging processwhich can put it in doubt.
Understanding how bacteria adapt to this dynamic environment in the intestine, where conditions can change rapidly, was the objective of the study by IGC researchers led by Isabel Gordo.
In recent years, the group has studied how bacteria evolve in older micethey have more inflammation, a less efficient immune system and a dysregulated microbiota, which is a stress factor for bacteria.
In a previous study, they revealed that Escherichia coli, a common bacterium in the mammalian microbiota, acquires specific mutations to adapt to the inflamed gut of these mice.
One of these mutations affects an important iron regulator and, given the relevance of this metal in the interactions between the host and the microorganisms, the researchers decided to study how the conditions to which the bacteria in the intestine are subjected act on this mutation.
According to the IGC, one of the most surprising results shows how the number of bacteria with this mutation changes abruptly in the intestine in a short time.
“We were surprised when we saw how the effect of natural selection on iron regulation in bacteria could drastically change in a matter of days“, explained Hugo Barreto, first author of the new study.
The next step was to understand what factors were causing these oscillations, which led the research team to test how bacteria with different iron-regulating abilities competed in mice with different immune competencies and different microbiota.
Hosts can generate a “Immune protein that prevents bacteria from absorbing iron.which is particularly important for preventing the proliferation of pathogens,” the researchers concluded.
In addition, inflammation associated with aging and antibiotics have been shown to influence levels of this protein.
In practice, the researchers found that the evolution of these bacteria in the intestine is influenced by the host’s immune system and microbiota, as well as by antibiotic treatment.
“Putting the pieces of the puzzle together was a difficult challenge, but extremely rewarding,” said Hugo Barreto.
Isabel Gordo, principal investigator of the group that carried out the study, highlighted that the results allow us to understand how the evolution of bacteria can affect the metabolism of iron in complex ecosystems, such as the human intestine, which is “extremely relevant given the importance of iron in host-microorganism interactions, particularly when its availability is limited, as is the case with inflammatory diseases and anemia.”
According to the IGC, understanding the factors that shape the evolution of iron regulation in bacteria could contribute to the development of microbiome-based therapies, including the use of probiotics, for example, to control bacteria that proliferate in these conditions.
Source: Observadora
