Gut microbes modulate (p)ppGpp during a time-restricted feeding regimen.
mBio 2023;
14:e0190723. [PMID:
37971266 PMCID:
PMC10746209 DOI:
10.1128/mbio.01907-23]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE
Mammals do not eat continuously, instead concentrating their feeding to a restricted portion of the day. This behavior presents the mammalian gut microbiota with a fluctuating environment with consequences for host-microbiome interaction, infection risk, immune response, drug metabolism, and other aspects of health. We demonstrate that in mice, gut microbes elevate levels of an intracellular signaling molecule, (p)ppGpp, during the fasting phase of a time-restricted feeding regimen. Disabling this response in a representative human gut commensal species significantly reduces colonization during this host-fasting phase. This response appears to be general across species and conserved across mammalian gut communities, highlighting a pathway that allows healthy gut microbiomes to maintain stability in an unstable environment.
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