Navigation abilities of gut commensals and their modulation in the gut-liver axis (A10*)

• Subject Area: Biophysics ; Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 403224013

An estimated half of bacterial species can swim by expressing flagella. High levels of flagellins within the intestine have been linked to dysbiosis, often accompanied by increased bacterial translocation and other hallmarks of diseases in the gut-liver axis. Yet, gut commensals’ swimming performances and implications for the host have been understudied. Using novel biophysical methods, project A10 directly quantifies the motility and chemotaxis of gut commensals and explores their modulation by factors of the gut-liver axis (e.g. bile acids, SIgA). This new scientific angle will bring functional insight into a commensals’ behaviour likely relevant to diseases.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1382: Gut-liver axis – Functional circuits and therapeutic targets
• Applicant Institution: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Marianne Grognot