GI highlights from the literature

Basic scienceViruses in our gut—friend or foe? Yang JY, Kim MS, Kim E, et al. Enteric viruses ameliorate gut inflammation via Toll-like receptor 3 and Toll-like receptor 7-mediated interferon-β production. Immunity 2016;44:889–900. Gut homeostasis is regulated by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors and the host's immune system. When this homeostasis is disrupted, gut inflammation ensues. Microbial imbalance, also known as dysbiosis, plays a critical role in intestinal pathology; however, previous studies have only focused on commensal bacteria despite metagenomic studies revealing that a variety of resident viruses inhabit the healthy gut. What role do these resident viruses play in regulating intestinal homeostasis and how do these viruses interact with the host innate immune system? A recent study by Yang and colleagues sheds light on these questions. The researchers found that treating mice with an antiviral cocktail before dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment resulted in...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: JournalScan Source Type: research