IIG Seminar - The gut-lung axis: how perturbation of the microbiome influences allergic airway inflammation

The microbiota plays an essential role in the education, development, and function of the immune system, both locally and systemically. Emerging experimental and epidemiological evidence highlights a cross-talk between the intestinal microbiota and the lungs, termed the ‘ gut – lung axis ’ . Changes in the constituents of the gut microbiome, through either diet, disease or medical interventions (such as early life antibiotics) is linked with altered immune responses and homeostasis in the airways. The importance of the gut – lung axis has become more evident following the identification of several gut microbe-derived components and metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as key mediators for setting the tone of the immune system. SCFAs are just the ‘ tip of the iceberg ’ with respect to immunomodulatory metabolites. We recently discovered that antibiotic exposure in early life increases the risk of allergic diseases such as asthma by lowering the levels of bacterial-produced indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) which leads to enduring transcriptional modifications in the airway epithelium and impacts the dynamic interaction between structural and immune cells in pulmonary tissue.Air date: 1/17/2024 4:00:00 PM
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