Research
The gastrointestinal tract is home to a complex community of microbes collectively known as the gut microbiome. Studies using germ-free and gnotobiotic mice have demonstrated that the microbiome critically impacts numerous aspects of host development and physiology as well as host susceptibility to infection and chronic disease. The gut microbiome is directly exposed to what we ingest (our diet, xenobiotics, etc) and to the milieu of molecules (hormones, inflammatory mediators, metabolites, etc) synthesized and secreted by our bodies.
Our broad research goals include: 1) To discover how particular diet- and host-derived signals modulate the growth and functions of specific members of the gut microbiota and invading bacterial pathogens; 2) To investigate the effects of these interactions on the host, specifically on susceptibility to infection and inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease. |
Current Research
Our current research includes investigating how dietary lipids and endocannabinoids, a class of lipid hormones synthesized by the host, modulate the behaviors of commensal and pathogenic E. coli in the gut.
Endocannabinoids regulate various aspects of mammalian biology including intestinal physiology and immunity through their engagement with cannabinoid receptors expressed on host cells. My postdoctoral work (recently reviewed here) demonstrated that one specific endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), is recognized by a pro-virulence receptor expressed by numerous gut enteric pathogens including E. coli and Salmonella. 2-AG sensing by this receptor attenuates the virulence of pathogenic E. coli, thus providing a direct molecular mechanism by which the mammalian endocannabinoid system can modulate the outcome of infection.
Using a combination of microbial genetics, in vitro infections and mouse models, we are interested in investigating whether other endocannabinoids and dietary lipids are also sensed by gut bacteria and the consequent effects of these interactions on bacterial function and disease susceptibility in the host.
Endocannabinoids regulate various aspects of mammalian biology including intestinal physiology and immunity through their engagement with cannabinoid receptors expressed on host cells. My postdoctoral work (recently reviewed here) demonstrated that one specific endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), is recognized by a pro-virulence receptor expressed by numerous gut enteric pathogens including E. coli and Salmonella. 2-AG sensing by this receptor attenuates the virulence of pathogenic E. coli, thus providing a direct molecular mechanism by which the mammalian endocannabinoid system can modulate the outcome of infection.
Using a combination of microbial genetics, in vitro infections and mouse models, we are interested in investigating whether other endocannabinoids and dietary lipids are also sensed by gut bacteria and the consequent effects of these interactions on bacterial function and disease susceptibility in the host.