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Racing to Stay Put: How Resident Microbiota Stimulate Intestinal Epithelial Cell Proliferation

  • Microbiome and Tissue Homeostasis (AS Neish and R Jones, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Pathobiology Reports

Abstract

Purpose of Review

In this review, we describe a shared requirement for resident microbiota to stimulate intestinal epithelial cell proliferation revealed in germ-free mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies. We seek to understand the extent to which these hosts respond to their microbiota through shared mechanisms, reflecting ancient animal epithelial tissue adaptations to microbial coexistence, versus through host-specific specializations.

Recent Findings

We find examples of host-specific microbial pro-proliferative stimuli, but across hosts, these stimuli are often sensed via innate immune pathways involving Myd88 and NFkappaB. These sensing pathways appear to stimulate a diversity of conserved effectors of epithelial proliferation and repair including reactive oxygen species, Beta-catenin, Jak/Stat, and mTOR signaling.

Summary

We conclude that diverse microbial signals are sensed through host innate immune pathways to induce conserved programs of epithelial proliferation and repair. Harnessing these responses will provide new avenues for treating underdeveloped or injured epithelia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA

    Tiffani A. Jones & Karen Guillemin

  2. Humans and the Microbiome Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1Z8, Canada

    Karen Guillemin

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  1. Tiffani A. Jones
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Correspondence to Karen Guillemin.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Microbiome and Tissue Homeostasis

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Jones, T.A., Guillemin, K. Racing to Stay Put: How Resident Microbiota Stimulate Intestinal Epithelial Cell Proliferation. Curr Pathobiol Rep 6, 23–28 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40139-018-0163-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40139-018-0163-0

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